Penn State 83, Rutgers 80 (phillyBurbs.com):
“Penn State was not ready to cut down the nets, but the Nittany Lions were not about to low-key their upset victory over Rutgers either.
” ‘We’ve just got to make this a normal thing, and not act like we just got into the tournament,’ said Aaron Johnson after collecting 17 points and seven rebounds in Penn State’s 83-80 victory over the Scarlet Knights Wednesday night. ‘If we keep this up, though, we’re going to have a good year.’
“Rutgers entered the game 42-10 at home under coach Gary Waters.
” ‘It was awesome. This is a huge win for our team,’ said freshman guard Mike Walker, who had 15 points and four assists.
” ‘Our first five games were against lower Division I teams, but this is a legit team, we played well on the road, so this is something we can build on.’
“On Nov. 19, the Lions lost guard Ben Luber, who asked to become inactive due to personal reasons. Against Rutgers, guard Marlon Smith, the team’s second leading scorer, sprained his ankle in the third minute and never returned. The duo was Penn State’s starting backcourt last year.
“Freshmen Geary Claxton, Danny Morrissey and Walker picked up the slack with a combined 44 points in 112 minutes.
“‘Unbelievable,’ Johnson said. ‘I just told them, `You guys played like seniors tonight.” “