Adam Highberger stole a pass and looked upcourt, firing a long pass to Talor Battle, who layed it in with 2.2 seconds left, giving the Nittany Lions a one-point lead at the half.
A strong showing in the second period pushed the Lions to a 80-61 win over Robert Morris Monday night at the Bryce Jordan center. Spurred by sophomore guard Chris Babb's five 3-point field goals, the Lions outscored the Colonials 46-28 in the half.
"We were just more focused," Babb said. "First half, we weren't really knocking down shots, not really executing on defense or offense. Coach told us in the second half, 'Get them out of it early.' You can't let teams like that stick around for too long."
Battle entered the game needing 21 points to become the programs 29th 1,000 point scorer, but finished with just eight. However, the team's leading scorer from last season didn't have to take over as Babb and freshman guard Tim Frazier shouldered the scoring load.
Frazier led all scorers with 19 points, shooting 6-for-11 from the floor, 4-for-5 from long range. The freshman added two rebounds and three assists, and showed flashes of his all-around game, making shots in traffic, driving into the lane and playing hard-nosed defense.
"It just kind of happened. I just kind of put it on my teammates, my teammates found me if the shot clock was late," Frazier said. "They were good shots, I was in rhythm when the ball went up."
With Battle mired in an off night and with three games coming later this week, DeChellis was able to sit the junior for 12 minutes. Last season, Battle's lowest time played was 29 minutes, going over the 30 minute mark in every other game.
Junior forward Jeff Brooks contributed 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting, adding five rebounds, marking the first time in his career he has strung consecutive double-digit scoring games. Coach Ed DeChellis said Brooks has been more confident, pointing out a possession where Brooks drove from the foul line and scored.
"He's developed a lot since he's been here. He's becoming a very good player," Babb said of Brooks. "He's developing that shot mid-range and getting a lot stronger and more confident in his ability to shoot the jumpers. He's attacking the basket real well and getting big rebounds for us."
In the second half, the team ran a three-guard offense featuring Battle, Babb and Frazier that gave the Lions two players who could push the ball upcourt. Having two playmakers allowed Battle to find his teammates, racking up seven assists, also finishing with six rebounds.
"I thought everybody played well the second half," DeChellis said. "We needed to play well the second half, we weren't doing much in the first half. I thought the first half, we were out there playing to play. The second half, we came out to play to win."
DeChellis said freshman forward Bill Edwards, out with a partially torn medial collateral ligament (MCL), has started running and shooting workouts at about half-speed and thinks Edwards can return to the floor after the Thanksgiving break.
The coach also said he has talked with freshman guard Jermaine Marshall about redshirting this season, but did not give a definitive answer if Marshall will sit out.
