Jamelle Cornley faced a simple scenario as he walked to the free throw line with five seconds remaining.

With Penn State leading by two, Cornley needed just one make to force Georgia Tech to hit a three-pointer to tie. Make both and victory would be nearly assured. However, the Nittany Lions' struggles at the line continued, as each of Cornley's attempts rattled off the rim to give the Yellow Jackets a chance to tie or take the lead.

But Georgia Tech had to chase a long rebound, and Iman Shumpert missed desperation three-point attempt to give Penn State an 85-83 win Wednesday night in Atlanta.

"I'm really proud of our guys," Penn State coach Ed DeChellis told the Penn State Sports Network. "Everybody's gotta play within their role and everybody's kind of fitting into their roles. I like our chemistry right now."

The Lions entered Wednesday's game shooting just 65.8 percent from the line, and that number worsened by the end of the night.

In three one-and-one opportunities in the closing minutes, D.J. Jackson and Talor

Battle came up empty on the front end of each. And Cornley's misses meant the Lions made just two of their last seven from the charity stripe.

"Make those and it would have been a heck of a lot easier," senior guard Danny Morrissey said. "But we still won."

Penn State held a 44-39 halftime advantage and stretched the lead to as much as 11 in the second half before Georgia Tech cut the deficit down and nearly pulled off a comeback win.

But Penn State prevailed and won its first road game in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and just its second non-conference road game since 2004 -- and it also happened in front of a national TV audience on ESPN2.

"It matters a lot because now people see you," DeChellis said. "It's important because I want them to see our players. We have good players here too so it's important for them to be on a national scene."

While Georgia Tech forward Gani Lawal may have caught the eyes of viewers with his 34 points and 10 rebounds, Penn State's guards helped make the difference in the game.

Senior Stanley Pringle hit 9-of-14 shots from the field and scored 22, Battle scored 18 and Morrissey added 13. The trio combined to give the Lions an 8-3 advantage over the Yellow Jackets from three-point range.

"[The win] shows we can play with a lot of great teams," Morrissey said. "They're a good team in a good conference and this shows what we can do this year."