The Penn State men's basketball team took the road for only the second time on Saturday and although the surroundings at Continental Airlines Arena were new, the Nittany Lions faced the same troubles they have been trying to overcome all season.

Penn State (6-3) was baffled by the pressure defense and threw away not only 21 turnovers, but another coveted non-conference road win.

Seton Hall (6-1) used an ultra-aggressive full-court press to erase a 12-point second half deficit and steal a 69-59 victory against the Lions at the Meadowlands.

DeChellis said Seton Hall picked up the pressure at just the right time, when Penn State was beginning to cruise.

"In the end it comes down to 21 turnovers, when we've had more than 16 turnovers this year, we've lost the game," DeChellis lamented on the Penn State Radio Network. "I thought we had a great opportunity, we're up 12 and things were moving along pretty good. Then they turned up the heat and we didn't absorb."

The Pirates were able to convert the turnovers into 20 easy points, which was just too much for the Lions to overcome, even with star Geary Claxton racking up career numbers.

Claxton, playing without a wrap on his injured right hand for the first time since Nov. 1, carried the Lions through much of the contest. The junior swingman accounted for nearly half (29) of Penn State's points and a quarter (11) of its rebounds while playing much of the game with foul trouble.

Claxton's, as DeChellis coined it, "unbelievable" performance was made even more bittersweet by the 200 friends and family members who made the hour and a half trek from the Connecticut native's hometown of West Haven.

He started hot by amassing 13 of Penn State's first 17 points as the Lions opened up an early 11-point lead. But as has been the case all season, Penn State surrendered the lead and Seton Hall was able to make a run and cut its deficit to six at the half.

The All-Big Ten candidate said the Pirate pressure was some of the best the Lions have faced this season. Even if there were some questionable officiating calls, Claxton said the blame falls solely on Penn State.

"They really got into us and we weren't trying to get open or anything like that, which led to turnovers," Claxton recalled on the Penn State Radio Network. "We just kept turning the ball over. It was our fault tonight; it had nothing to do with the officials. We just needed to take care of the ball."

As the Lions came out for the second frame, they seemed determined to not let another lead slip. Jamelle Cornley's lay-up with 11:53 left ballooned the Penn State advantage to 12, and the game appeared to be in the Lions' paws.

But once again, Penn State wilted under pressure. The Pirate's defensive intensity picked up and not even Claxton's heroic performance could have saved the Lions. Seton Hall closed the game on a 35-13 run, including four free throws down the stretch, which accounted for the 10-point margin of victory.

DeChellis was frustrated and bewildered that his team could play so well for much of the game and then throw the lead away, literally.

"We played well for 35 minutes and the last five minutes we were a completely different team and they made some big shots," DeChellis said on the Penn State Radio Network. "We competed and we had a chance. We just cannot turn the ball over as much as we did and expect to win."

DeChellis said he has to find a way to cleanse Penn State of the multitude of turnovers and get the Lions back on track for the remainder of the non-conference slate.

"What I have got to figure out is why we just keep throwing the ball away," DeChellis said on the Penn State Radio Network. "If we don't get that fixed up, we'll get beat by other teams, so we've got to take care of the basketball."

Notes: Sophomore Milos Bogetic made his first career start, in place of the injured Cornley. Bogetic played well in his starting role as he contributed nine points, eight rebounds and two blocks in 31 minutes of play.

Cornley did not start due to a sprained ankle, but Penn State's leading scorer did grab eight rebounds in 33 minutes off the bench.

Percentage-wise, Penn State outshot Seton Hall by 6 percent, but the Pirates attempted 18 more shots from the field.