If this is how you get the jitters out, it's a pretty good way to do it.

In an 89-43 win vs. Lock Haven University last night, the Penn State men's basketball team did not play perfectly, but started to get used to the atmosphere associated with a Division I basketball program.

The game was a tale of two halves for the Nittany Lions, due in part to overcoming the anxiety Penn State men's basketball coach Ed DeChellis said the team had in the first half.

"I think the most important thing was that we were a very, very nervous bunch," DeChellis said. "That was very important for us to get out there and play in front of people."

They had to do it without the veteran presence of senior forward and captain Travis Parker, who did not play because he missed a meeting with DeChellis.

The nervousness associated with rotating in a team of young players -- eight are freshmen or sophomores -- initially effected the Lions' defense. DeChellis said his defense wasn't very good, but that it was a result of players tiring from the anxiety as well as not getting sucked out by Lock Haven's offense.

"It was probably lackadaisical on our end, but we didn't want them coming out, we wanted them in the passing lane and protecting the basket," DeChellis said.

The tale of two halves is reflected in the statistics, as the Lions shot 10-for-18 from the free throw line in the first half, but 17-for-18 in the second half. It was a similar story from three-point territory, as Penn State improved a 14 percent mark in the first half to 50 percent in the second.

This mid-game improvement, combined with a Lock Haven team that couldn't seem to keep up physically, made for a stop-and-go game punctuated by 38 fouls and 44 turnovers -- most of them on the Division II Bald Eagles' end, who had more fouls than field goals (24 to 16).

This type of game didn't allow the Lions to run many plays, but did create numerous transition opportunities and long scoring runs.

"I don't think we did a very good job of defense to offense at times, and were sloppy and tried to throw some passes that guys have no chance of making," DeChellis said.

But it did get the job done.

In the early first half, Lock Haven matched 10-0 and 8-0 Penn State runs with 8-1 and 6-0 runs of its own. With 11:27 left in the half, the game remained tight at 13-11 in favor of the Lions. Thanks to an 18-0 run with 7:40 left in the first half, Penn State went into the locker room leading 39-17 and putting the game away for good.

Not only did it get the job done, but it also provided DeChellis with insights into many of the younger players.

"They all contributed in their own way, and they all had an opportunity to play," DeChellis said.

In the absence of Parker, the team's leader, sophomore forward Geary Claxton and junior guard David Jackson led the Lions with 15 points each, with Claxton also grabbing eight rebounds.

Freshman forward Jamelle Cornley also played prominently in the game with 14 points. Cornley, however, did shoot only 2-7 from the free throw line, which prompted him to practice shooting immediately after the game in the South gym.

"I'm still used to the little high school crowds and what not and a smaller location," Cornley said. "Right now it's just a matter of getting used to the atmosphere and at the same time getting used to all of our players."