Feb. 2, 2008
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. , FEB. 2, 2008 - A student section that roared enthusiastically all night long flooded the court as the final buzzer sounded as Penn State (11-10; 3-6 Big Ten) knocked off No. 7 ranked Michigan State (19-3; 7-2 Big Ten), 85-76, behind great play from guards Talor Battle and Stanley Pringle Saturday in the Bryce Jordan Center.
"It feels like a million dollars," said Battle. "It's just one of those feelings that you can talk about forever. When you are done playing the game and everyone storms the court and are holding people up."
A raucous crowd of over 11,000 fueled the Nittany Lions all night as Penn State beat its first ranked team since 2006 and ended Michigan State's five-game win streak. As a large contingent of basketball alumni looked on, Penn State downed its first ranked foe since a victory at No. 6 Illinois in 2006 (66-65) and beat its first ranked foe in the Jordan Center since also dropping a No. 6 ranked Illini team 98-95 in overtime in 2001. The victory snapped a six-game losing streak for the Nittany Lions and marked their first since losing leading scorer and rebounder Geary Claxton to a knee injury five games ago. It was the first victory for coach Ed DeChellis over his good friend Tom Izzo and Michigan State.
"It was a great win for our kids," DeChellis said. "We have had some crazy things happen and our kids hung in there and fought and made some plays tonight and made some free throws when we had to. Hopefully we got a little confidence back and you know, it was great for our fans and for our students. The students were tremendous. People came out even though we lost a bunch in a row. Our kids laid it on the line and we were able to win a game. So, I am very happy for our players and the fans."
Penn State turned loose its guards on the Spartans and got dramatic results. Pringle, a junior transfer, posted a career-high 19 points and six rebounds and played relentless defense on Michigan State's Drew Neitzel. Freshman Talor Battle contributed 17 points (his sixth double-digit game in the Big Ten) and a team high four assists and two steals while playing 37 minutes. Both Pringle and Battle dropped three treys and went a combined 12-14 from the free throw line. Jamelle Cornley turned in yet another inspired effort with a left knee that continues to give him pain scoring 15 points and adding six boards. Senior Mike Walker added 10 points and four Lions scored in double-figures as Penn State posted its highest point total since an 89-86 overtime win over Seton Hall on Dec. 8.
"I thought we were aggressive with the ball," DeChellis said. "We tried some things. We spread the post out and that worked a little bit. So, I am thrilled. We executed what we needed to and we made enough free throws. We missed some but we made enough at the right times to win."
Kalin Lucas led Michigan State with 18 points and seven assists. Goran Suton and Raymar Morgan tossed in 11 and 13 points, respectively, with Suton also adding nine rebounds. Penn State was dominated in the paint throughout the game as the Spartans scored 46 points to Penn State's 18, but the Nittany Lions won the battle at the free throw line with a season-high 34-of-51 effort, including draining 16 of their last 20. Michigan State made 14-of-21 getting outscored by 20 points at the line.
The game featured 18 ties and 12 lead changes as the team's battled close throughout. Michigan State held as much as a six-point lead with 5:00 to play in the first half and Penn State opened as much as a 10-point lead early in the second.
After taking a 42-39 lead to the locker room, Penn State got two straight threes from Pringle in a 9-4 run to start the second half and took a 53-43 lead on Battle coast-to-coast lay-up with 16:02 to play. Michigan State answered with two consecutive dunks by Marquis Gray and Morgan with 14:46 remaining to bring Penn State's lead down to 53-47 and start a 17-5 run that would give the Spartans a 60-58 lead.
After a lay-up and foul-shot by the Spartan's Lucas brought the lead to two, Battle hit a jumper from the elbow for a 58-54 margin. A Travis Walton basket and back-to-back baskets by Lucas gave the Spartans the lead with 9:47 remaining, 60-58.
Cornley tied the game, 60-60, with a jumper at the 8:54 mark, which was answered by a Durrell Summers' jumper on the other end for Michigan State. Walker hit a big three with 7:11 remaining to give the Nittany Lions the lead 65-64.
The teams battled within two points of each other over the next 3 ½ minutes until Walker went to the line and buried a pair of free throws and Pringle did the same to give Penn State a 74-69 lead with 3:20 to play. Penn State would score its last 20 points of the game from the free throw line as the Spartans continued to send the Lions to the charity stripe.
Michigan State got back within two, 76-74, following a three-point play by Goran Suton with 1:42 to play. But freshmand David Jackson drained two free throws to put the Lions back up four, 78-74. Jackson would go 9-of-11 at the line for all nine of his points on the night.
Walton missed on a drive on the other end and Cornley pulled the rebound and was fouled. He made one of two. Chris Allen missed again for Michigan State and Cornley pulled the board again. This time Battle was fouled and made one of two for an 80-74 lead with 42 seconds to play and the Penn State students began to surround the floor in anticipation of the victory celebration.
Battle fouled Lucas on the other end and he made two. The Spartans sent Pringle to the line and he buried both as he went a career-best 8-of-8 at the stripe on the night. Neitzel missed a jumper on the other end and Pringle went to the line again to extend the lead to 84-76 with 26 seconds to play and the celebration was on. Allen and Lucas missed a pair of threes and a late free throw made the final margin.
Penn State shot 49 percent from the floor and made 9-of-22 threes on the night. Michigan Statte hit 47 percent and was 2-of-14 from three as All-Big Ten guard Drew Neitzel was held to six points on 2-of-10 shooting.
Penn State took the early lead in the game going up 10-8 on a Pringle lay-up with 15:01 to play in the first. An alley-hoop to Durrell Summers put Michigan State up 13-12 with 12:28 to go in the first half. Even though the Spartans started shooting 60 percent from the field the Lions led 17-15 with 11 minutes to go in the half shooting only 36 percent.
A Lucas lay-up started a 6-0 Michigan State run to reach its largest lead of the game, 33-27, on a Walton jumper 5:00 to play in the first. Pringle's three brought the lead down to 33-30 with 4:38 to go. Battle then scored seven straight points for the Nittany Lions including hitting two consecutive threes to tie the game at 39 with 1:47 remaining. Danny Morrissey then followed with his own three-pointer with 33 seconds left in the half to put the Lions up 42-39 continuing a 6-0 run.
Penn State returns to action on Tues., Feb. 5 when they hit the road to take on Big Ten co-leader Purdue (17-5; 8-1 Big Ten) in West Lafayette, Ind. That game is scheduled for a 9:00 p.m. (ET) tipoff on the Big Ten Network.
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