Riding a stationary exercise bike midway through the second half of Sunday's 87-86 loss to the EA Sports All-Stars at the Bryce Jordan Center, Penn State forward Jan Jagla wiped his face with a towel, fighting through the pain of a hyperextend left knee.

Jagla, in a familiar place, although new players and coaches surrounded him, has pedaled into Penn State's small forward position and showed a capability to control the paint in the exhibition contest.

With a double-double already in hand at halftime, the 7'0" junior pulled down a game-leading 17 boards against an EA Sports squad lacking in rebounding presence.

According to Penn State men's basketball coach Ed DeChellis, the coaching staff has looked to Jagla to control the glass.

"He did a great job rebounding," DeChellis said. "If he takes good shots and keeps rebounding, he's going to be a fine player."

Jagla's presence on Sunday reached far outside the paint, however.

With two seconds remaining before halftime, DeForrest Riley-Smith passed the ball to a wide-open Jagla, who was stationed on the perimeter, just inside the three-point line.

Jagla's shot was a swish, and then pointed his finger towards Smith.

The two slapped hands, increasing the Nittany Lion lead to seven points as the clock expired and causing the handful of hometown fans in attendance to cheer.

Jagla exhibited a high quality of play during his 23 minutes but did display some signs of rustiness, most notably during a stretch early in the second half.

After misreading a teammate and sending a pass out of bounds, Jagla missed a shot from near the foul line and lost a loose ball in a matter of possessions.

With the Lions trailing, 62-61, Penn State called a timeout and the team proceded to huddle around new coach DeChellis.

Jagla hobbled off of his seat on the bicycle and joined his teammates in the huddle before reentering the game.

Looking for the perfect inbound pass, Jagla threw the ball towards a teammate, but the basketball soared over his head and out of bounds.

Due to a lethal combination of whistle-happy referees and physical play, the German native found himself facing foul trouble through much of the game and fouled out with his team trailing.

EA Sports coach Phil Bryant saw Jagla's early exit as a turning point in the game, which his team would come from behind to win.

"When Jagla fouled out that made a big difference," Bryant said. "He rebounded really well, and that concerned me."

With his left leg wrapped tightly after the game, Jagla was shocked when told of his rebounding total Sunday, and mentioned that the injury influenced his play.

"The injury affected my game, but it's something you have to play through," Jagla said.

Jerry Dunn, Brandon Watkins and Sharif Chambliss have long since departed. So too, have any hopes of short-term success for the Penn State men's basketball team.

With intense play from Jagla and his teammates, Lions fans have something.

It's a rag-tag team with room for improvement, to watch.