Police used pepper spray to clear hundreds of rowdy students from an area around East Beaver Avenue early Saturday morning, arresting 20 people on charges ranging from failure to disperse to aggravated assault.

At least three people — a female student, an apartment security guard and a Penn State Police Services officer — suffered face and head injuries, State College Police Chief Tom King said.

Traffic signs and light posts sustained damage and several windows were broken, but the State College Police Department has not yet released a cost for the vandalism.

Police estimated 4,000 people — many of whom were intoxicated — swarmed into "Beaver Canyon" following Penn State's loss to Temple Friday night in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

The disturbance began shortly after midnight as crowds gathered on Beaver Avenue between Garner and Pugh Streets, banging street signs and cheering "We Are Penn State" and "Temple Sucks."

As the size and volume of the crowd increased, some students took turns climbing up the street sign at Beaver Avenue and Locust Lane, the center of the unrest.

Officers in riot gear initially focused on trying to keep people on the sidewalks. After revelers started tossing beer bottles and cans from nearby apartment balconies, King said police were forced to give dispersal orders.

The disturbance reached a breaking point at about 12:15 a.m., when crowd members toppled the Stop/Do Not Enter sign in front of Cedarbrook, 320 E. Beaver Ave.

Police then formed a line and pushed south on Locust Lane, urging people off the street and aiming pepper spray at the crowd.

Officers subsequently used the wedge tactic to divide and disperse crowds gathered on the other side of Locust Lane and in either direction on Beaver Avenue.

Sgt. Dana Leonard used a portable public address system, and King said individual officers told people to clear the area or otherwise face arrest.

After police succeeded in clearing most of the block facing Cedarbrook, a portion of the crowd surged back into the area at about 12:40 a.m. and officers reprised their efforts.

Police also used pepper spray and batons to drive people into the entrance lobbies of apartment buildings in efforts to empty the streets and sidewalks.

People who were sprayed ducked away, coughing from the fumes, rubbing their eyes and pulling their shirts up over their mouths.

Some students who had not heard the calls to disperse or did not understand their gravity complained of being sprayed for no reason.

However, King said using pepper spray is the least aggressive method of clearing people from an area under a dispersal order.

Before the uproar, many people said they were expecting a riot-like situation after the basketball game, whether or not the basketball team won.

"I heard a lot of people around here talking about it," said Jen Millin (freshman-communications), who said she came to town from Penn State Altoona College. "Everyone thinks there will be a riot."

Sgt. John Gardner of State College police said officers overheard at least a few conversations last week indicating a possible riot.

The university made extra attempts to advertise alternative activities in the HUB-Robeson Center following the basketball game, Penn State spokesman Bill Mahon said.

The Bryce Jordan Center hosted a few thousand students to watch the playoff broadcast over large TV screens, but many decided to leave at halftime as Penn State trailed Temple by a wide margin.

In a call early Saturday from The Gingerbread Man, 130 Hiester St., Undergraduate Student Government President Matt Roan said the riot caught USG by surprise.

"We did not think this would happen if we lost," Roan said. "Even now I hear some firecrackers going off. It's pretty crazy, but it's so crazy that it's a matter for the police to deal with."

In the event of a win, USG had planned to foster a pep-rally atmosphere in "Beaver Canyon," Darren Robertson, director of town affairs, said in an e-mail last week.

After Penn State upset North Carolina on March 18 to advance in the NCAA tournament, hundreds of students gathered around Beaver and Locust for a celebration that was not as violent nor as alcohol-fueled.

Police said Saturday's unrest was more comparable to the summertime Beaver Avenue riots of 1998 and 2000, each of which also produced a few dozen arrests and property damage in the area.

Like the students involved in past riots, those charged on Saturday will face disciplinary proceedings within the university Judicial Affairs system, Penn State President Graham Spanier said in a press release.

King said it was clear that many students came to "Beaver Canyon" to gawk at what they expected to happen. People arrived on the scene equipped with cell phones, still cameras and video cameras to record the disturbance and tell others about it.

State College police are asking anyone who has videotape or photographs that show any crimes being committed to call 234-7150 and share them with the department.

Gardner said Penn State officers and Pennsylvania State Police shot four videotapes at the scene, which will probably aid in future arrests associated with the disturbance.

State College police also received assistance throughout early Saturday from Ferguson Township Police, Patton Township Police and Centre County Sheriffs.

King said about 80 to 100 officers were present at one time.

Collegian Staff Writers Daryl Lang and Alex Weininger contributed to this report.