What is refreshing about youth is that it doesn't dwell on the past.

The great thing about experience is that it always remembers it.

Experience was in the form of fifth-year senior Ndu Egekeze whose put back of freshman Ben Luber's miss with 1.2 seconds on the clock gave Penn State a 63-61 overtime victory over Northwestern.

Egekeze wouldn't have gotten the chance if it wasn't for the brilliant play of youth -- freshman tandem Ben Luber and Marlon Smith, who combined for 34 points, including Smith, who tied a career-high with 23 points.

"Ben was solid, he made some great drives," Penn State men's basketball coach Ed DeChellis said. "I thought he made some nice passes, he handled the ball and he got us an offense. Ben really played a great floor game. Those two freshmen kids are doing a great job for us."

Just two games ago against Illinois, the duo went a combined 2-for-24 from the floor. Last night, in front of an empty house of 6,810 fans, Luber and Smith shot a red-hot 13-for-24 from the floor all while playing every second of the 45-minute contest.

The Nittany Lions (9-8, 3-3 Big Ten) controlled the game most of the way, but were never able to stretch the lead to double digits over the Wildcats (7-10, 2-4). The scene was familiar for some Lions' fans when Northwestern guard T.J. Parker hit a three-pointer to send the game into overtime and then again in overtime when senior Jitim Young hit a three-pointer that set-up Egekeze's heroics. But, for Egekeze, who has seen more than his fair share of collapses in the Bryce Jordan Center, it was all too familiar.

"I remember the Indiana game [an 85-78 overtime loss in 2001] my freshman year," Egekeze said. "That scenario came right back. That's the one I remember most. It occurred to me after the fact, that eerie feeling that it didn't matter if you were in their face or not, they hit it."

Egekeze was disappointed that he didn't get a put back at the end of regulation, but when he got the opportunity to redeem himself he made sure he wouldn't be denied.

"My eyes got huge when I saw who was trying to box me out and that wasn't going to happen," Egekeze said.

The effort by Egekeze on the defensive end was what helped the Lions hold the Wildcats, who were shooting 35 percent from beyond the arc, to a dreadful 7-for-31 night from three-point land. The combination of Egekeze, junior Jan Jagla and a little touch of Smith hampered Young, the Big Ten's third leading scorer, in the halfcourt set.

No one knows what hampered both teams free-throw shooting ability. The teams combined to go 12-for-29 from the foul line, but the Lions hit the foul shots when they counted. Both Smith and sixth-man sparkplug Aaron Johnson hit a pair from the line in overtime.

Johnson and Jagla controlled the glass for the Lions, who out-rebounded the Wildcats 40-25. Both finished with double-doubles, as Jagla had 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Johnson had 11 points and 13 boards.

Now experience and youth must remember and forget what they did last night and prepare to go on the road.