With five minutes left in the first half of the Penn State-Illinois men's basketball game Wednesday night, The Bryce Jordan Center went from loud cheers to dead silence.

Nittany Lions guard Titus Ivory had just landed awkwardly on his ankle. In obvious pain, he fell to the floor clutching his right sneaker with his hands.

Following a brief examination by trainers, Ivory immediately skipped into the locker room, trying not to put any weight on his foot.

"At that time, I didn't feel as though we were going to be able to have him in the second half," Lions coach Jerry Dunn said.

"It was very painful," Ivory said. "I really couldn't put any pressure on it at first."

Penn State managed to finish the half strong when Jon Crispin hit a three-pointer that closed the deficit to 48-44. But it was uncertain if the Lions could survive the rest of the game without one of their most important players all season long.

After the intermission, it was not a good sign when Ivory was absent from the Penn State lineup.

However, seconds after the second half started, the senior made his way out of the locker room and up to the scorer's table. The Jordan Center crowd began to stand and cheer as Ivory checked in, ready to make his contributions against one of the better teams in the nation.

"It was questionable if I would return because I was in a lot of pain and could barely put any pressure on it," Ivory said. "But I got some ice and a little more treatment. With the help of my teammates, the crowd and the Lord, I was able to get back out there."

"He's a tough kid," Dunn said. "He's the heart and soul of this team. He's shown all year that he's willing to do what it takes to get the job done."

For the remainder of the game, both teams battled back and forth. The Lions eventually grabbed a slim lead and, with the help of Ivory, they were able to keep it for much of the half.

Ivory hit big shot after big shot. Whenever the Fighting Illini cut the gap to one or two points, Ivory answered with a basket of his own.

His two free throws with just 10 seconds on the clock made it a three-point margin in favor of Penn State. Illinois was forced to take a quick shot to tie, which was right on the mark and sent the game into overtime. Ivory scored four more points in the extra frame before he eventually fouled out.

But he did his damage, scoring 20 points in the second half and overtime to give him a career-high 27 for the game. Even more important for the Lions was the emotional lift Ivory gave his teammates when he came back into the game after the injury.

"He's a very selfless person," Dunn said. "He's a fighter and he leads by example. He's a guy every team needs and he's going to do whatever they ask of him."

Ivory's effort helped lead to a 98-95 Penn State upset against the Illini, causing the fans to rush the court in celebration. A wounded Lions squad had just been given new life.

And the cheers that followed the game had certainly made up for the silence that resulted from his injury.