It took an eternity for Talor Battle to gain redemption.

As Talor Battle drove the lane, down by 1, he put up a floater that bounced around the rim for what seemed like forever.  When it finally dropped, through the hoop, the Bryce Jordan Center went into hysterics.  With .3 seconds left, Penn State took its first lead since 8-7. Our prayers were answered.

But it shouldn’t have had to be that hard.

The previous trip down the court was heartache for the Nittany Lions.  With under ten seconds left, and down by one, Battle drove the lane.  Just like against Michigan State, Penn State put the ball in the hands of their best player when they needed a bucket.  And just like against Michigan State, Talor Battle lost the ball.  As the players slid across the floor, a jump ball was called, and to the dismay of the 13,000-plus in attendance at the BJC, the possession arrow pointed towards Illinois.

A quick foul on the inbounds led to a 1-and-1 for Illinois, and it was 70% free throw shooter Mike Davis at the line.  But, somehow, Davis was short on the free throw.  Jamelle Cornley grabbed the rebound, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Cornley, playing in what I now think is safe to say the last home game of his career, was a freaking warrior tonight.  For the last couple minutes, Cornley was hobbled.  At one point, he languished in pain on the floor for half a minute, his shoulder clearly ailing him.  But just like he always does, Mel got right back up, and refused to come up.  He grabbed that rebound and came down in agony.  But he got that rebound.

Penn State trailed for most of the game, and by as many as 10 points.  For most of the second half, it was a sustained 6 or 7 point lead for Illinois, chipped away to 2 by the Lions, then pushed back up to 6 or 7.  It was a painful game to watch, as Illinois scored 16 points in the final 5 seconds of the shot clock.  But Penn State stepped up the defense, not allowing an Illinois bucket for close to the last 4 minutes.  Ed Dechellis deserves a ton of credit for this win, even if he did stick with Danny Morrissey for a bit too long.  His sporadic use of the full-court press led to a couple buckets and seemed to throw the Illini out of a rhythm.  But it didn’t stop them from getting some uncontested buckets underneath, especially during a 14-2 run early in the game that turned a 3 point deficit into an 9 point lead.

For most of the game, it was Stanley Pringle supplying the offense for Penn State, and on his birthday no less.  Pringle had, perhaps, his best game of the season.  He scored 20 points, hit 8 of 11 shots, including all 4 of his three point attempts.  It was Pringle’s three with just under 2 minutes left that narrowed a 6-point deficit to 3, and gave those of us in attendance some renewed hope.

This was easily the best crowd I’ve ever been a part of.  Usually, it takes a big football game to fill up a venue, and get the kids screaming.  But tonight, not only was the BJC packed, but it was deafening.  When Talor Battle hit that leaner to win it, the place absolutely erupted.  I’d like to think that we helped the team tonight rally for the win.  Nittany Nation and the Penn State athletic department really got the White House rocking.  Those of you who are prudent will notice that the lead image isn’t from tonight’s game.  But those haven’t been posted yet, so last year’s court storming after the Michigan State game will have to do.

Here’s the stat of the night: Free throw shooting.  Usually, it’s what hurts us, what keeps us from winning a close game, and what seals it for the other team.  But tonight, Illinois couldn’t buy a free throw, hitting just 2 of 7 from the line.  Penn State, on the other hand, hit 12 of 15, a cool 80%.  This was the antithesis of the first game between these two teams; Illinois had more points at the half than they did all game in Champaign.  And if you don’t think this was exciting, you don’t have a pulse.

I hate to keep harping on the officials, but it’s getting really annoying.  I’m not just saying this on my own.  I talked to my dad after the game, and he told me that even Steve Lavin harped on the fact that we were getting jobbed.  There were three calls in particular that were awful, and actually took points off the board for us.  First, an over-the-cylinder call against Andrew Ott was unwarranted.  Next, there was a clear shot clock violation that went even unreviewed.  Lastly, David Jackson looked to have an and-1 situation, but the officials ruled against continuation.  Just like some schools (i.e. Duke) seem to get all the calls, it seems like Penn State keeps getting the short end of the stick.

I’d never been involved with something like that.  I know, I’m just a freshman, but to storm the court has always been a dream of mine.  For all I’ve invested in this team, emotionally, it was just an incredible release.  I know, it’s not a sure thing, but I really think this team is going dancing.  From the beginning of the year, I couldn’t have even dreamed of it.

There’s just so much more I could write about, but it would just be superfluous.  You’ll see the highlights, read the recaps.  You probably watched the game live, and couldn’t believe what happened for yourself.  Words can’t describe the feeling that we all experienced.  It was sheer happiness.

A last note, and one I hate to even mention.  Just months ago, we were riding high after the football team beat Ohio State.  But then that team traveled to Iowa City, and we know what happened there.  This basketball team will have it’s season finale in the same place, in just about 38 hours.  We can only pray that they finish off the season with a convincing win.  And if/when they do, well, we’re going dancing.  And that’s a promise.

Here’s a random footnote: root for Michigan State to beat Purdue in their season finale.  If they do, and we beat Iowa, this team will finish 2nd in the Big Ten.  Not even Jamelle Cornley could’ve predicted that.

Releated Posts:

1. Talor Battle to return for final season at Penn State
2. Talor Battle Enters NBA Draft
3. Penn State Storms Past Robert Morris
4. Our free throw shooting plague
5. The Glass is Half Full

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