Aaron Johnson finally revealed the secret to his intensified performances.

In fact, he was still rather hyper and extremely pleasant during Friday night's post-game press conference after Penn State beat Lehigh 73-64.

"I feed off energy," Johnson said. "I have my energy drink before the game and that really makes me hyper and that's not a good thing with my coaches but on the same token I get so hyper [on the court]."

Penn State coach Ed DeChellis certainly didn't mind Friday night's showing when the junior led the Nittany Lions in points (25) and rebounds (12), posting his third double-double in four games.

"He wants to win and makes great hustle plays, great plays," DeChellis said. "He is a post player and he gets in and gets fouled. We can build things around him."

Johnson was one of four Lions to play at least 37 minutes -- along with guards Marlon Smith and Mike Walker, and forward Travis Parker -- in the absence of starting sophomore point guard Ben Luber. After averaging 39 minutes per game last season, Luber asked to become an inactive member of the Penn State (2-2) squad to concentrate on personal matters.

Although Walker has served as Luber's sole backup at point guard, Walker and Smith split the duties against the Mountain Hawks (0-1), who made the NCAA tournament last season.

Starting his first game, Walker recorded seven points and three assists as well as converting four foul shots that sealed the game with less than a minute to play in the game.

"[Walker] definitely stepped up with the three-pointer and late free throws," DeChellis said. "As a freshman point guard, he showed effort and played very solid."

Other than the ball movement not being as crisp and as fast-paced as usual with the experienced tandem of Luber and Smith, Penn State adapted to the loss of one of its most experienced players. Smith filled in for Luber as the floor general, but also maintained his role as the go-to guy. Smith finished with 16 points and four assists. Johnson, Parker and Geary Claxton also recorded double digits in points.

Penn State opened the game with an 8-2 run and held the lead until there were less than seven minutes to play in the first half, when Lehigh tied the game at 21. After a long jumper by Johnson, a 3-pointer from Parker and a solid defensive play by guard Danny Morrissey in the final three minutes of the first half, Penn State headed into the break with a 31-27 lead.

Lehigh guard Joe Knight tied the game at 36 with one of his five 3-pointers on the evening, just six minutes into the second half. DeChellis recruited Knight to play at East Tennessee State, but he chose to attend High Point University.

Penn State held its biggest lead of the game at the 8:30 mark and would hold at least an eight-point lead until the Mountain Hawks threatened with just over a minute remaining in the game. Lehigh came within three points, making the score 65-62, before Walker and Johnson converted on 8-of-8 foul shots. Penn State struggled with free throws early on and shot just 27-of-42 from the line.

"We played really hard today," Smith said. "We missed a couple of free throws, but we made up for it with some good plays near the end of the game."

Only six players on the bench saw significant playing time as compared to the BCA Classic, when the depth of the bench was tested.

Penn State was forced to conform to Lehigh's offensive scheme because of its lack of post players. The Lions only scored 16 points in the paint and surrendered 24 inside points to Lehigh. Forwards Johnson and Parker tended to drift away from the post and favored the outside shot rather than penetrating. Johnson and Parker attempted a combined nine 3-pointers, converting on three.

Johnson's effort underneath was complemented with Parker's solid all-around performance. The junior college transfer grabbed nine rebounds and tallied 12 points, two assists, three steals and a block.