Good goodbye
Earl, Booth victorious against Ohio State on Senior Day

By CRAIG KACKENMEISTER
Collegian Staff Writer

With 33.1 seconds left in the Penn State men's basketball game against Ohio State Saturday, the Nittany Lions' two senior leaders stepped off The Bryce Jordan Center floor for the last time in the regular season to a standing ovation.

Combined, they have 11 years of experience in the Lion uniform. One has long been a force underneath the basket and the other a sentimental fan favorite and leader on the floor.

Sixth-year senior Dan Earl and fifth-year senior Calvin Booth were honored before the Lions' 98-85 victory over No. 10 Ohio State. Then the two honored the fans by scoring a combined 43 of the Lions' 98 points.

When Ohio State's Neshaun Coleman hit a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left to tie the game at 74, the Lions, for a change, had the opportunity to hit the game winner and Earl was the go-to man.

He got the ball, worked his way into the lane and put up a leaning shot that rimmed out, sending the game to overtime. All Earl could do was stand at the foul line with his hands over his head in disbelief.

"Obviously, it didn't go down, so it is tough to say this, but I was confident going in and I was so wide open and it was like a nightmare," Earl said. "I put my hands on my head and wanted it all to go away. I just needed a second to clear my mind."

But sophomore guard Joe Crispin didn't let Earl down, scoring eight straight points in the start of overtime to give the Lions the lead and an eventual Senior Day victory.

Booth also went out with a strong showing, recording his third straight double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds.

"I'm excited," Booth said. "It's a good win for us and now when a person from the other team calls me they can't brag. I get to brag about beating them, it's a good feeling."

Booth was also a presence on the defensive end, giving the fans an opportunity to waive their white plastic hands in the air by recording four blocked shots.

"He's one of the toughest guys in the conference to play against," Ohio State coach Jim O'Brien said. "He's a hard matchup for most guys one on one. He can score some points, but clearly his value is on the other end."

Both Earl and Booth have left their marks on Penn State basketball.

Earl has played in 118 games and started 115. He has scored 1,240 points (10th all time) and ranks eighth on the all-time Big Ten list and second in Penn State history with 569 career assists.

Booth has played in 113 games and started 110 of them. He is the Big Ten's all-time leading shot blocker and ranks sixth all time in the NCAA with 423 blocks. Booth also is ranked eighth all time in Penn State scoring history with 1,281 points.

"I think that Calvin and Dan ended their career on the home floor the way they would have written it if they were to write their own script," Penn State coach Jerry Dunn said. "It was against a top 10 team and a great basketball game."