U freshmen steal one at Penn State

STATE COLLEGE, PA. -- With 19 seconds to go Saturday, Penn State had the ball in the midst of an unlikely tie with the Gophers. Penn State had taken a 16-point lead early in the second half.

After a quick timeout, the Nittany Lions found star Geary Claxton in the paint. He had already dropped 19 points against a Gophers squad that trapped and double-teamed him the entire game.

Again double-teamed and with the clock winding down, Claxton tried a pass to Jamelle Cornley. But Gophers freshman guard Al Nolen picked it off, was fouled and hit three of the biggest free throws of his young career, sending his team to a 76-73 victory in front of an announced 10,934 bewildered Nittany Lions fans at the Bryce Jordan Center.

"When I got the ball, I just looked over at my teammates on the bench, and they gave me a sigh of relief, and they talked to me and just said, 'Knock 'em down, no pressure,' " said Nolen, who finished with six points, seven assists and three steals. "And I just had to finish the game for them because we worked too hard to come back not to finish."

After Nolen intercepted Claxton's pass with six seconds to go, Cornley was called for an intentional foul as he grabbed Nolen's jersey. Nolen made both free throws for a 75-73 Gophers lead, then made the first of two free throws after he was fouled on the ensuing inbounds play. Penn State's Talor Battle came up short on a three-pointer at the buzzer.

After a 17-2 Nittany Lions run early in the second half put the Gophers down 58-42 with 12:58 to go, Gophers senior Spencer Tollackson told his teammates to forget about the score and play to win.

"It's a true test of this team's heart and character," said Tollackson, who scored 19 points. "There were a couple of guys in the huddle who had this dazed look like, 'Oh no, we're going to lose.' I just kind of clapped my hands and said ... get this dazed look off your face because this game is far from over."

He was right. Minnesota (12-3, 2-1 Big Ten) launched a 26-9 run and took a 68-67 lead with 6:42 left. During that stretch, freshman guard Blake Hoffarber, who finished with 19 points, hit three three-pointers in a row. Damian Johnson, who started for the first time this season, had two steals, two blocks and a key three during the run. Dan Coleman also contributed with his second consecutive double-double -- 10 points and 11 rebounds.

"They never quit, and they kept fighting at us," Battle said.

The Nittany Lions (10-5, 2-1) outrebounded the Gophers 38-25 and shot 38.1 percent from three-point range. But like a slow leak in a tire, Penn State was quietly blowing its chances of a 3-0 conference start with horrid shooting from the free-throw line.

In the second half, the Nittany Lions made eight out of 21 free throws; in the final 6:42, Penn State missed nine of its 10 foul shots. Meanwhile, the Gophers shot 76 percent (19-for-25) from the line, going 9-for-11 in the second half.

Gophers coach Tubby Smith said he wasn't worried about the deficit during the game because he rarely looks at the score. He said the team's willingness to fight through adversity was indicative of its courage.

"When we got behind, we just didn't give up," said Smith, now one victory away from 400 for his career. "And guys like Blake Hoffarber and Al Nolen, they're too young to know the difference. They just kept battling and kept hanging in there."