Closing minutes spoil U's evening

STATE COLLEGE, PA. - After Penn State's 66-63 victory over the Gophers on Thursday night, Talor Battle switched into a fashionable ensemble fit for a New York runway.

As he walked toward the media room to take postgame questions, an arena staffer thanked him for making Penn State's game memorable.

"I just try to make it interesting," he said with a smirk.

His postgame demeanor and attire matched the swagger he maintained throughout the tight matchup. He scored a game-high 28 points against the Gophers' zone. He hit seven of his 14 three-point attempts, many from Stephen Curry range.

And with his team down a point and 1 minute, 12 seconds left in the game, Battle swished a clutch three-pointer that put Penn State ahead 62-60. That was the last lead change -- there were four in the last four minutes -- of the evening.

"I was in a groove and I felt comfortable," Battle said.

Trevor Mbakwe said Battle's late three snuffed out the mojo the Gophers had attained by that point.

The Gophers (17-9, 6-8 Big Ten) squandered a respectable second-half rally with mistakes in the final two minutes.

They went on a 23-10 run over a seven-minute stretch, capturing a 60-57 lead on Colton Iverson's dunk with 2:09 to go.

And then, they forgot to win.

Penn State's David Jackson missed a jumper at the other end, but Andrew Jones put in the rebound to pull the Nittany Lions (14-11, 7-7) within one.

Then Blake Hoffarber, who led the Gophers with 18 points, hoisted up a quick three that was well off, and Battle hit his go-ahead three seconds later. After a timeout on the Gophers' next possession, an official cited Austin Hollins for traveling, a call Tubby Smith disputed after the game.

His team's unraveling didn't completely smash their chances.

Jones' lane violation on a Battle free throw offered the Gophers 22 seconds to overcome a 63-60 deficit. But Hoffarber's pass to Sampson skirted out of bounds on the next play.

"I saw Ralph and tried to pass it to him, but my arm kind of got tangled up with my defender and I led him too far and just went out of bounds," Hoffarber said.

Hoffarber hit a three with 7 seconds left that cut Penn State's lead to two. Battle then missed one of two free throws, but Hoffarber missed a three at the buzzer that would have sent the game into overtime.

The Gophers, who find themselves on the NCAA tournament bubble for the third consecutive season, hope to solidify an invitation with a favorable four-game stretch to close the conference schedule featuring three home matchups against unranked teams. Quality victories over Purdue, North Carolina and West Virginia anchor their résumé. And they entered Thursday with the No. 35 RPI.

"We need to get another game, we need another win," Smith said.

Their path to those additional victories contains challenges against more crafty point guards: Michigan State's Kalin Lucas on Tuesday, Michigan's Darius Morris on Saturday, Northwestern's Michael Thompson on March 2 and Battle again March 6.

Without Al Nolen, they might encounter the same problems they had Thursday against Battle.