It had become a fact, not a theory, that when Penn State senior attacker Nate Whitaker took the field for the Nittany Lions, he would record a point.

The count had reached 45 consecutive games with a point since his freshman year. Whether that point was registered as an assist to a teammate on the Penn State men's lacrosse team or a goal of his own, Whitaker's streak was as likely to continue as the sun was to rise in the morning. It became an afterthought.

So when the streak ended in a game against Ohio State Saturday, Penn State men's lacrosse head coach Glenn Thiel didn't give a passing thought to the sunset on Whitaker's accomplishment.

"I didn't even say anything to him after the game," Thiel said. "I guess when you score 14 goals you assume Nate got a point somewhere."

Thiel had enough to worry about during the game, as the Lions found themselves down 13-12 with less than two minutes remaining on a rainy afternoon at Ohio State. Whitaker had yet to enter the box score, as only senior midfielder Greg Gurenlian produced a helper during that game.

Junior Brian Boyle ripped the ball into the back of the net with 1:55 remaining -- unassisted. Overtime became the streak's final moments. Quickly it was put to rest with midfielder Pat Heim's fifth goal of the game, unassisted, on the only shot registered by either team in the overtime period.

The final line for Whitaker: no goals, no assists, five shots and a couple of offside penalties. Barely much to speak of, other than the fact that that it hadn't happened in nearly four years.

While the streak is unusual in Thiel's estimation, he hasn't given it much thought until now.

"In 39 years of coaching, I can't think of anybody else who has done it," Thiel said. "I don't even know who noticed it and then started keeping up on it."

For sure that person wasn't Whitaker. He won't marvel at his accomplishment until after the season, and was tired of people asking him about it. It was a relief to joke with teammates about the streak's end on the bus ride home from Columbus.

"I was just ready to have that pressure off of me," Whitaker said.

That's why he takes cortisone shots in his ankle. Bone spurs have slowed Whitaker, but the pain has subsided with his new regimen of medications. Having the streak continue meant staying on the field.

His focus remains on the Lions' opponents, including the Buckeyes, who have crashed down inside to smother Whitaker. He still managed to produce five quality shots in an offense designed to feed an inside player. When Thiel recruited Whitaker out of Great Falls, Va., it was to replace Penn State's all-time leader in goals, Will Driscoll.

Whitaker has totaled 119 points in his collegiate career, leading the Lions in total points for three straight years. Compare that to Driscoll's 127 career goals, and Thiel expected this kind of point production out of Whitaker, including the attention that he gets by opposing defenses.

The Buckeyes collapsed in on Whitaker, gravitating toward him with every cradle. Ball distributors like Boyle, the Lions' leader in assists, noticed that on Saturday. After his teammate's run ended, Boyle now has the longest point streak on the team at 12 games. If Whitaker had managed to score that day, his streak of games with a goal, not including assists, would have been 13.

"The fact that he didn't score today opened it up for everyone else," Boyle said. "He's been the guy, and he's been a cornerstone for our offense."

On the contrary, that is exactly why Whitaker contends that the point streak was somewhat overrated. His job as an attacker is to attack on offense, hence their name, and therefore points should come frequently.

As quickly as the feat ended, teammates were fast to realize the streak's significance. Heim, who took the shot that effectively ended the game and the streak, knows that more often than not he wants to get the ball to No. 16's stick.

When Heim dodges a defender, the next move is to find Whitaker. Wherever the pass, whatever the situation, the fellow All-American will be there.

"That's amazing," Heim said. "That's the kind of thing where you want to get him the ball."

And they will.

"It's been the role he's filled," Thiel said. "He'll start a new streak."