For a team like Penn State that has had trouble winning games when turning the ball over, losing starting point guard Ben Luber might have been considered a death sentence.

At the shoot around before last night's game against Long Island University, it was announced that, because of an impingement in his right ankle, Luber would not be suiting up for the Nittany Lions.

With their normal floor general on the shelf, head coach Ed DeChellis turned to senior combo guard David 'Mooch' Jackson to run the show for the blue and white.

And despite playing with a heavy heart, caused by the passing of his aunt earlier in the day, Jackson responded to DeChellis's call and directed the Lions to a convincing 66-45 victory over the Blackbirds.

"David played very well tonight, I thought he was very under control and he made good decisions with the ball," DeChellis said in praise of Jackson. "He was very solid at the point for us, and we needed a solid performance out of him tonight."

Jackson used the family tragedy as a sort of rallying point on his way to 12 points, two steals and most importantly, no turnovers.

"I just wanted to play as hard as I can," Jackson said. "Every night I'm going to try to play as hard as I can because you never know when you're going to get hurt or when it's going to just stop."

Of course it helped to have a player like Geary Claxton, who can single-handedly take over a game, on the floor. The junior swingman, playing in only his second contest without a cast on his right hand, continued to play as if he was making up for lost time with his 21-point and 13-rebound performance.

The impressive showing was his third straight double-double and second straight game scoring more than 20 points.

Claxton also showed that the month-long injury layoff had little effect on his jump shot. The All-Big Ten candidate drained two threes and shot 45 percent from the field as he tallied 13 points in the first half.

As Claxton carried the Lions through the first half, a shroud of disappoint was cast over DeChellis's face as LIU led by one after 20 minutes of play.

During the break, the fourth-year head coach emphasized intensity and rebounding to his team, and the Lions responded in the second half.

The Penn State defense put the clamps on after the break and held LIU to 16 points on 30 percent shooting.

On the glass, the Lions were even more dominant. Penn State out-rebounded the Blackbirds 22-5 after intermission.

DeChellis attributed the commanding second half showing to the Lions' demeanor and ability to pull away after jumping out to a lead, something they haven't been able to do this season.

"We had a sense of calmness about us out there tonight and it was good to see," DeChellis said. "We needed a game like that."

Medical Notes: An ankle impingement is an injury associated with pain in the back of the ankle and inflammation of the synovium. It is commonly caused by trauma or repeated stress applied to the ankle, often times from repeated jumping.