At halftime, with his team down four points and very much in last night's game, Hartford coach Dan Leibovitz thought his team was capable of being the aggressor for the rest of the game.
If he were to walk across the Bryce Jordan Center and ask Penn State coach Ed DeChellis if he was correct in thinking that way, DeChellis would likely have agreed with him.
Having that much-sought-after killer instinct isn't a personality trait of the Nittany Lions (6-2).
"We don't have the mentality yet of attack, attack, attack," DeChellis said. "We have the mentality of, 'OK, let's try not to turn the ball over.' "
So in the second half when Hartford switched primarily to a press defense -- reflecting Leibovitz' aggressive thinking -- the Hawks quickly found their coach was right. They could control the tempo of the game.
Hartford (3-4) cut an 11-point Lions lead with 9:21 left in the game to a one-point lead with 12.3 seconds remaining.
Penn State committed five turnovers during the time in between, a result of the Hawks' press defense.
Only one final defensive stop by the Lions prevented Penn State from recording its second loss this season to an America East conference opponent.
"We let them right back into the thing," DeChellis said.
Doing so has been a consistent trait of the team throughout its non-conference schedule. Ahead in games against Bucknell and Saint Joseph's this season, Penn State let the Bison force the game into overtime before coming away with the win.
Against St. Joe's, a late barrage of points capped by a last minute 3-pointer, prevented a loss.
DeChellis would rather have his team win convincingly. He is still looking for his team to play a consistent game, from start to finish.
"We have lapses," DeChellis said. "When you give teams an opportunity to come back at you and they make some shots and they start feeling good about themselves, then you get yourself in a little pickle."
It may not be in his team's personality though, at least when it comes to outward emotions.
"We've got some guys who aren't brimstone and yellers and stuff, and that's a personality," DeChellis said. "We've got a bunch of quiet guys in the sense that they're not [into] that rah rah stuff."
The words some players spoke after the game though, revealed they know they must become more consistent and prevent teams from coming back. They have to put teams away.
"I think we fall into lapses," junior forward Geary Claxton said. "I don't think we're that focused."
Said senior guard Ben Luber: "We just have to be more aggressive and be able to put teams away. I don't know where that's going to come from but we have to do that to be successful."
