Hey folks, Fortuna here to take you through the NIT championship tilt between the Nits and Baylor. Sorry for the delay, as the MSG wifi is not blog-friendly, I have learned.
But hey, Penn State is here, in a "championship of a national tournament," as Eddy D has loved to say as of late.
It's safe to say MSG is a WHITE HOUSE tonight, with the 33 busloads of fans in full support for the Nits tonight.
Fan favorite Jamelle Cornley gets things started during the last game of his collegiate career by dropping in two form the paint.
On the next possession, he follows with a pair of offensive rebounds, after Drew Jones kept the possession alive with an offensive board of his own. Mel finishes the possession with a pretty fake, takes one dribble in and hits the short jumper. What a possession for the Lions, as it prompts a Scott Drew 30-second timeout with PSU up 4-0.
That was quick, as BU answer with three 3-pointers and a Curtis Jerrells lay up, as Stanley Pringle heads to the line for PSU following a media timeout.
12:41,
BU 11, PSU 9
Danny Morrissey replaces DJ Jackson, who seemed fine out there after taking a nasty spill and hurting his tailbone Tuesday night. Pringle hits the first of two out of the break to cut the early deficit to one.
The Nits force Anthony Jones into a 3 at the shot clock buzzer, which boucnes off the rim and out of play, giving Chris Babb a chance to replace the senior Pringle.
Did I say senior? Perhaps no one on this PSU roster knows what tonight means more than Morrissey, who knocks down an open trey to put PSU up 13-11.
Of course, it's Jerrells hitting a 3 over Morrisey on the other end to put the Bears up a point.
Jeff Brooks, who replaced Cornley while Pringle was at the line, answers with a nice no-look pass in the paint to Andrew Jones, who slams it home for two. Nits up a point, and yes, Joe Paterno is back at MSG again, sitting in the same section as Tuesday, as he poses for pictures with women's volleyball coach Russ Rose seated next to him again.
10:37,
PSU 15, BU 14
I have to say what a relief it is to be out of Big Ten play, as we'd rarely get this kind of offensive output from each side this early.
Mel checks in for Drew after a Jerrells foul to opent higns up out of the timeout. The crowd expectedly cheers.
Mel makes his presence felt, powering his way into the paint and laying it in for two.
Kevin Rogers follows a Jerrells miss on the other end with a nice putback to bring BU within a point.
Mel just knocks Carter onto his derriere and lays it in with ease to get the two.
Josh Lomers lays it in on the other end for BU, and Mel, clearly not holding anything back on his last night as a Lion, takes it inside. This time, however, he is unable to convert.
Hodges hits a tough shot on the other end to put BU up one
The next four possessions may very well sum up Brooks' young PSU career. The much-maligned sophomore throws a silly pass form the corner that gets picked off, then hustles on the other end to make a block. He catches and immediately airballs a jumper in front of us, then comes up with another stuff on the other end.
Henry Dugat with a pretty reverse lay-in to finally break this chaos, putting BU up three and drawing a 30-second timeout from Ed.
Out of the break, D-Mo drills a jumper right in front of us. However, we can all agree witht eh officials that it was after the shot clock horn, a turnover for the Lions as there's another timeout on the floor.
6:14, first half
BU 22, PSU 19
I talked to Jamelle's parents before the game. Funny, if you were watching Tuesday's game at home, you'd notice ESPN color man Fran Fraschilla talking about Jamelle's father, Hank's, career at Illinois State. However, the announcer kept incorrectly circling him, John Madden-style, during the broadcast.
Anyway, Mel's mom, Dorcella, told me they almost brought a sign with them tonight for Big Hank to hold over his head, ID'ing himself as Jamelle's father. Funny stuff.
Brooks is now at the line after receiving a nice Talor Battle pass in the paint and getting hacked by Mamadou Diene. Brooks hits the second, and is then taken out for the star of the NIT, Jones.
This zone is giving PSU all sorts of problems, as the long and athletic Bears force Cornley into a tough turnaround. Jones tips the miss out, Cornley chases it and Pringle ends up with the rebound in the backcourt. Battle, however, can't connect from 3.
LaceDarius Dunn lays it in on the other end to put BU up four.
The refs are letting them play, as Battle's floater in the paint is off the mark and Jones grabs the rebound, gets hacked a few several times, then misses underneath. Another offensive board doesn't equal more points for the Nits, who have crashed them hard all night.
Rogers hits a deep baseline two on the other end for BU, and there's another timeout on the floor. PSU has now gone 5:46 without a field goal and is lucky to only be down six at the moment.
3:06, first half
BU 26, PSU 20
The athletic DJ replaces D-Mo out of the break. Let's see if this pay dividends early for PSU.
Battle misses another 3, as the point guard has been unable to get going here so far. DJ, however, gets the rebound, and looks like he's stuffed down low, but gets the benefit of the doubt. However, he can only hit one of two, and BU leads by five.
Battle fires a bullet down the lane that gets deflected into the corner. He chases it down and saves it to Cornley, who gets double teamed on the baseline and is forced to take a 30-second timeout.
DJ is left wiiiide open and hits a jumper to end the scoring drought out of the break to end the drought and get the crowd on its feet. Cornley then knocks away a pass intended for Josh Lomers down low and saves it on the baseline. The big man, however, cannot connect from deep on the other end.
Jones gets hammered by the taller Lomers going up for a rebound off a Jerrells miss, and a make up whistle is blown on Jerrells in the paint on the same possession.
A beautiful bounce pass from Cornley to DJ for the lay-in and this crowd is intooo it. Jerrells quiets it with another 3 right before the half. His shot is ugggly, as it starts below his you-know-what and, so far, has ended up at the bottom of the net.
Battle gets hit as he throws up a heave from beyond midcourt, but there's no call as we enter the break. PSU is fortunate to be this close, and will have to find a way to figure out the zone and limit the open shots for BU from the perimeter.
Halftime,
BU 29, PSU 25
PSU gets as big a boost as it could possibly receive, as JoePa is shown in full force rooting them on in the middle of the band's rendition of "7 Nation Army" as they take the court. This crowd is HYPED.
Who better than Jamelle Cornley to open the half up by ducking completely under Josh Lomers, absorbing the contact and putting it in for two.
Lomers gets fouled on an offensive rebound on the other end, but he can only hit one.
Cornley floats one in off the glass at the shot clock buzzer and we're setting ourselves up for a nice second half to a national championship game.
Andrew Jones must be reading the blog, as he forces a turnover on Lomers underneath and lets out a big yell and clap, unusual for the normally reserved big man.
DJ hits an open 3 to give PSU the lead and this crowd is PUMPED. Drew calls for a 30-second timeout, which is extended to a full one by the media, with the band playing Zombie Nation and our row shaking up and down courtside. Scary ... sorta.
17:32 left,
PSU 32, BU 30
Rogers opens things up with a Robbie Hummell-like travel and jam. The refs decide to call it on Pringle down the court instead on the next possession.
Battle still can't connect from 3, drawing iron again.
A BU turnover and Pringle miss lead to another offensive board from Cornley, who is blocked by the much bigger Lomers downlow. The crowd wants a foul, but when the height difference is that great, there's just not much you can do.
Pringle misses the 3, and Lomers puts in a miss on the other end as BU regains the lead.
I only knew there was such a violation as "3 in the key" as a fifth grade rec-league wannabe. However, the refs reminded that it's still in the rule books by calling it on Jones just now.
Timeout on the floor.
15:29 to go,
BU 34, PSU 32
The wave is currently taking place, with the customary reign of boos everytime the BU band's section gets its turn. I take this time to remind you that Battle is scoreless, 0-6 from the field and 0-5 from 3. I wouldn't be surprised to see him take over down the stretch if this remains a tight one. No way is the team's best player going out with a goose egg.
Tweety (no, not Twitter) Carter is called for an offensive foul, and Battle misses a runner at the other end. Forutnately for him, Jones is there to put it back in and tie this score up.
...at least they're calling this ting both ways, as Lomers is now whistled for a 3 in the key. Brooks is in for DJ after the whistle.
Cornley puts it in downlow, with Lomers a split-second too late on his block attempt. Pretty. Lomers then does everything but bodyslam Jones on the other end and gets called for the offensive foul. The ref, currently on a power trip (must be the stage of a national championship game), warns Drew to cool it before he can even get a word out of hs mouth.
Battle misses anotherrr 3, Cornley is fouled while kicking it back out, and the JACKET COMES OFF. Tech on Drew, as Talor breaks the ice by hitting the first technical free throw.
He misses the second, but there is a whistle while he is in motion. Yeah, I wasn't kidding about these refs.
Battle then gets body checked on a fast break, but why blow the whistle during an actually play? D-Mo misses a pair of 3s, and Dunn connects from downtown to tie it at 37.
D-Mo, fearless in his last game ever, takes another 3 from the corner, drilling it this time. Another offensive foul called on BU, wit an Eddie Hightower point of emphasis after the whistle is blown. PSU is at least pumped, up three with a timeout on the floor.
I wish I could tell you these refs were favoring one team or another, but it is just all around incompetence tonight.
11:44 left,
PSU 40, BU 37
Tweety Carter checks in out of the break. I'm sorry, I hear that name and just can't help myself.
D-Mo drills another 3 from the exact same spot as last time, the bench and crowd on their feet now with PSU up six.
D-Mo grabs the rebound, and Brooks nails a 3, blowing a kiss to the sky for emphasis afterward. What a run by the Nits, who now lead by nine as BU is forced to take another timeout. This table is really shaking now.
Dunn gets a great look at a 3 from the top of the key and nails it to quiet the crowd. It is worth noting that Drew's jacket was never put back on after the technical.
Ballots for all-tournament team are due in six minutes, as Brown notes to my left. Unfortunately, I was up getting a drink (for him, too) at halftime and therefore never received a ballot. Let's just say the Lions' two biggest starters would be near the top of my list.
Battle gets bailed out as he loses the ball near the basket, and he hits both to put PSU up eight.
Baylor is shooting 42 percent on the night, PSU 41.
That will surely go up, as Battle hits a circus shot in the paint with the shot clock winding down to get his first FG of the game and put PSU up double-digits.
Jerells runs over Cornley, whether it was a charge or block is hard to tell, but of course there's no call as the BU player puts it in.
Jones answers with a lay-in on the other end.
Then, Dunn gets hit below the rim. A foul? Sure. But the genius refs wait until the ball is in PSU's hands, three steps later, to blow the whistle for a foul. Before anyone can even process what just happened, Cornley is slapped with a T. The zebras must have forgotten this is a COLLEGE game that's only played in an NBA arena.
7:21,
PSU 52, BU 42
Funny remark by the PSU fans behind me as they shout "BLOW THE WHISTLE REF!" while Dunn shoots the technical free throws. He hits both, and Rogers puts it in on the ensuing possession.
Battle gets the crowd back on its feet with a 3 that hits all parts of the rim before dropping through. PSU up nine.
Jerrells falls on his own in the paint, and a travel is called. After cooling off following the T, Cornley comes back in to a thunderous applause as Drew takes a 30-second timeout.
5:35 to go,
PSU 55, BU 46
Not the smartest move by the PA announcer, who is actually MSG's backup. (Trust me, I've had the name "Pat-Rick EWING" ringing in my head with the other guys voice since I was six). This guy tells the crowd not to go onto the playing surface following the game, which will only egg on the pro-PSU crowd.
Both clocks above the baskets stop working as PSU brings it up, prompting another break before the matter is handled.
Cornley draws contact on Rogers down low as BU picks up its seventh team foul. The senior captain can't connect on either, however, and if you've been following this team all year, you get the feeling you know what this will be like.
Rogers knocks down Jones, no call either way again. Three tip-ins later, and BU finds itself down only seven. Ed calls a 30-second timeout.
Pringle gets a wiiide open look from 3 but can't connect. He then makes up for it with a steal on the other end and takes it to the basket, where he draws an intentional foul on Dunn. Again, I just don't see the purpose of a big, questionable call like that late in a big game. Drew has basically given up on the officials. I haven't seen a word or motion out of him since the technical on him earlier this half.
3:51 left,
PSU 55, BU 48
Pringle hits both free throws out of the break, as PSU gets to keep possession following the intentional.
D-Mo tries too hard to make something happen and throws it away.
"Stand Up!" chants come from the PSU students to the rest of the crowd, which joins in before Cornley picks up his fourth personal.
Pringle loses the ball near the key and D-Mo does his best to save it, John Starks-style near the possession arrow on the sideline. He takes a hard fall, and all you can see right now are his legs kicking up and down in pain. No movement from the rest of his body, and the whistle is blown immediately following a Rogers dunk on the other end.
Morrissey is finally brought to his feet and the bench, and the "Morrissey" chants echo throughout the arena. What effort by the fifth-year man. Would be nice to see him get back in before his career ends.
Speaking of career ends, Cornley reminds me why I LOVE sitting courtside at the Garden. He gets fouled on his injured shoulder and murmurs a not-so-nice phrase under his breath two feet away from us here. (Hint: It rhymes with "brother-sucker.") Mel knocks down both free throws, and a missed BU 3 has this crowd on its feet with two to go.
Battle drives to the paint with the shot clock winding down, spins a few times and hits a crafty floater right before the horn. BU turns it over, the ball goes right under Brown's feet, and the Bears call a timeout.
They can smell it here in the Garden, and unfortunately that means I'll have to pause the blogging for a bit to cover the festivities that are sure to follow. The trophy presentation and net-cutting are 1:36 away, and it's safe to say Penn State will be the winner of the National Invitation Tournament, as it leads 61-50.
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