Lions collar Bulldogs; Gophers next

NEW YORK -- No one would have blamed the Penn State men's basketball team had it just given up in the first half of last night's National Invitation Tournament semifinal against Georgia. After all, how much can one team take?

Apparently, quite a bit.

The Gophers beat Fresno State 91-89 in overtime in the first game of the night.

"It's a great win for our guys," Penn State coach Jerry Dunn said. "It's bittersweet in a lot of ways. I'm happy for Penn State University."

It's a fitting ending to what has been an unpredictable season for Penn State, which has looked like it was one minute from collapsing for most of the year after suffering several setbacks.

First, the Lions lost point guard Dan Earl six games into the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Then, they limped into the Big Ten season, dropping their final two non-conference games and their first two games in the conference. Then they finally appeared to be headed on the right path only to get knocked out of the Big Ten Tournament in the first round, denying them an NCAA Tournament bid.

The final blow came last night, when forward Jarrett Stephens injured the ACL in his left knee seven minutes into the game. The Lions could have easily put their heads down. Instead, they gritted their teeth and showed just how far they have come in the last two months.

With a little less than seven minutes spent, Georgia's Larry Brown clobbered Stephens on the way to the basket. Stephens writhed on the floor and had to leave the game. He could not return and will not play tomorrow.

In Stephens' absence, Penn State got inspired performances from Titus Ivory, Joe Crispin, Gyasi Cline-Heard, Carl Jackson and Calvin Booth.

"We all feel his pain," Ivory said of his fallen teammate. "We came back in and said, 'Let's use this as motivation.' "

The Lions held off a Georgia run in the middle of the second half, which got the Bulldogs back into the game after Penn State had extended its lead to 10 with 12 minutes left to play. Georgia cut the lead to one with 5:11 left, but Lisicky responded with a 3-pointer. The two teams went back and forth for the next minute. Booth missed the frond end of a one-and-one and gave the Bulldogs a sliver of hope. Ivory fouled Jumaine Jones on the next possession and Jones sunk both giving the Bulldogs a 56-55 lead. Jones led all scorers with 23 points. He also had 15 rebounds.

Crispin hit two free throws to again give the Lions the lead. The freshman from Pitman, N.J., had a team-high 18 points in the game.

"Crispin showed a lot of guts all year," Dunn said.

Lisicky then stuck the dagger through the Bulldogs' hearts with a 3-pointer from the top of the key to extend the lead to 61-56. The senior had struggled in the first half, but as usual came through when it counted.

"The shot clock was running down and Gyasi set a good ball screen," Lisicky said. "I got a good look."

Things didn't look good at the start of the game. Georgia went on a 7-0 run in which Penn State turned the ball over twice. Ivory's driving layup woke the Lions, though, and they got themselves back into it with a nine-point run of their own.

Penn State may have been inspired by the crowd. Over 10 buses made the trek from State College to Madison Square Garden. The fans started cheering during the first game between Minnesota and Fresno State, interjecting with "We are Penn State," and ignoring the game on the floor. The crowd was louder than some Bryce Jordan Center crowds and was vocal throughout the game.