Last second shot sinks cagers, 98-95

By MICHAEL LELLO
Collegian Staff Writer

Close losses have become the norm for the Penn State men's basketball team, but yesterday's seemed to sting even worse than the Nittany Lions have become accustomed to.

A.J. Guyton hit a 3-pointer from beyond NBA distance with five seconds left in double overtime to destroy the Penn State (10-9, 2-7 Big Ten) upset attempt against No. 20 Indiana (17-7, 4-5), giving the Hoosiers a 98-95 victory at The Bryce Jordan Center.

As Penn State coach Jerry Dunn fought back tears, he struggled to verbalize his and the team's frustration.

"We fell short, we didn't get it done," he said. "I have a bad feeling about it, there's no ifs, ands or buts."

Guyton's game-clincher was the second critical shot the guard converted on the afternoon, having sent the game into double overtime with a 3-pointer with 20 seconds left in the first overtime period.

He led the game with a career-high 33 points -- the most ever scored by a player at the Jordan Center -- 21 of which came on his seven three pointers, also the most ever by an individual at the Center.

Guyton said his game-winning shot in front of a sold out crowd of 15,355 was not a last-ditch effort simply heaved toward the basket as time expired.

"That was not a desperation shot because I was under control," he said.

Indiana coach Bob Knight wasn't as confident in the shot as Guyton.

"I thought Guyton's shot had no chance of going in," Knight said.

Luke Recker tipped in a shot after a missed Guyton 3-point attempt as time expired in regulation, sending the game into overtime.

Just getting back in the game was the first challenge for the Hoosiers, who hours earlier fell to an early 24-8 margin with 8:44 left in the first half before the Lions took another 16-point lead at the 7:06 mark. Indiana responded to the challenge, igniting a 20-3 run and taking a 33-32 lead into halftime.

"When we're down 24-8, we're just looking to get back in the game," Knight said. "Focusing to get back from 16 points to up one at the half, that's the most important part of the game."

Another pivotal factor was Indiana's control of the glass, pulling down 52 rebounds to Penn State's 35. The Hoosiers especially dominated on the offensive end, grabbing 19 offensive rebounds to the Lions' eight.

"They just beat us to a lot of rebounds," Penn State center Calvin Booth said. "They took a lot of 3-point shots and were able to run down some rebounds."

Indiana's 52 rebounds were the most ever for a Big Ten team against Penn State.

Penn State's lack of team depth continued to be a detriment, as the Hoosiers used 10 players for at least 10 minutes each, while the Lions only used three bench players all afternoon -- two of which, Carl Jackson and Tyler Smith, who didn't even see 10 minutes apiece.

"If you're going with six or seven guys, it's going to catch up with you," Dunn said. "(Indiana's) deeper. At the end they were playing five guards, and anytime you play five guards, you're pretty deep at the perimeter."

Dan Earl had a career-high 28 points and Booth had 23 to go along with eight blocks and a game-high 12 rebounds. Joe Crispin had 21 points. Recker added 20 for the Hoosiers.

A Lions' victory would have tied them with the Hoosiers for eighth place in the Big Ten, but despite three players scoring more than 20 points apiece, Penn State fell short again. The Lions have lost three conference games by a total margin of nine points.

"I'm tired of learning in losses," Earl said. "It's tough. No one likes to lose, and we've done our fair share of it."