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FightOnState.com: Going Deep:

“Ohio State brought new meaning to the term ‘triple threat’ against Penn State at the Jordan Center Saturday afternoon. The Buckeyes used a barrage of perfectly timed 3-pointers to beat back three second-half rallies by the Nittany Lions, and walked away with a 66-56 win.

“‘They made every big shot they needed to make,’ said PSU coach Ed DeChellis, who saw his team fall to 7-16 overall and 1-9 in the Big Ten with its 10th loss in 11 games. ‘Give credit to them.’… “

Bucknuts.com: Buckeyes Drop Penn State, 66-56:

“Ohio State got thumped at Penn State last year, but this season would prove to be a different story. The Buckeyes controlled the game from start to finish and earned a 66-56 victory over the Nittany Lions on Saturday….”

AP Wire | 02/12/2005 | Ohio State 66, Penn State 56:

“STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Foul trouble limited Terence Dials. It was up to Ohio State’s defense and perimeter shooters to make up the difference.

“Matt Sylvester scored 15 points off the bench and Ohio State’s subs outscored Penn State’s 28-9 in a 66-56 victory over the Nittany Lions on Saturday.

“It was the fifth win in six games for the Buckeyes (17-8, 6-5 Big Ten).

“‘This game obviously was a tough battle,’ Ohio State coach Thad Matta said. ‘I felt we weren’t really flowing offensively. We had to shoot quickly and continue to defend. Defense was the difference in the game. I told the players that it would be an all-out war.’

“Penn State shot 30 percent from the field.

“‘They are a good defensive team but I don’t think it’s a matter of executing any differently than we would against another Big Ten team,’ Nittany Lions guard Ben Luber said. ‘We got good shots but they were not falling.'”

Ohio State’s team and managers take time out from warmups to read 40 Minutes.

Penn State Notes:

• Penn State’s two most experienced players, Johnson and Luber, went a combined 1 of 15 from the floor in the loss to Purdue.

• Johnson is making only 34 percent of his shots in Big Ten games, a poor number for a big guy. Making it worse: He has not had an assist in the last three games. Becoming the focal point of opposing defenses has obviously been a struggle.

• Luber had made six shots (on 27 attempts) in Penn State’s last five games. He is 2 of 13 from the arc in that stretch.

• Parker had three steals against Purdue, marking the first time in Big Ten play this year a PSU player had more than two thefts in a game.

• Nearly 30 former Lions will be honored during the team’s “Alumni Weekend” ceremony during the game. Included will be All-Big Ten guard Danny Earl and All-American Mark DuMars.

• Stat watch: Big Ten opponents are making nearly half their shots (48.9 percent) against the Lions. …

Lions looking to rebound after blowout:

“The Penn State men’s basketball team had its confidence shattered once again on Wednesday after another 20-point loss on the road in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions (7-15, 1-8 Big Ten) will have to pick up the pieces before tomorrow’s matchup with Ohio State (16-8, 5-5) — a job that is getting harder and harder to do, especially early in games.

“‘Some guys do, you can see it in our eyes — especially on the bench,’ Penn State guard Danny Morrissey said about losing confidence. ‘If we make a couple of shots … usually it is the first five minutes of the game that will dictate how we play.’

“Any coach will say that the way a team comes out in the first is usually a sign of what they’ve done that week in practice. If that’s the rule, then Penn State is finally an exception to a rule but not in a good way. Junior forward Travis Parker was visibly frustrated after the Wisconsin game on Jan. 29 because the Lions came out flat after a good couple of days of practice, and it seems as if Wednesday’s game was deja-vu for Penn State.

“‘We had two of the best practices Monday and Tuesday [before the Purdue game],’ Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. ‘That’s why [the Purdue game] was kind of a shock to us as a team and as a staff. I couldn’t have scripted the practices any better than they went. And going out and really not have the same level of basketball was really shocking.’ …”

Coaches join the fray in practice:

“The Penn State men’s basketball team has a secret.

While the Nittany Lions have played with a painstakingly shallow bench all season, two players have received more practice time with each passing month and have presented quite a challenge to the other players on the court — all while not seeing a single minute of playing time in an actual game.

“And no, one of those players isn’t Cilk McSweeney, a Chevon Troutman look-a-like (only a bit smaller) who has been practicing with the team as a redshirt after transferring from Towson University.

“Then, why, you might ask, aren’t these two particular players being utilized on a team that has struggled mightily in Big Ten play?

It’s because the ‘players’ in question are assistant coaches James Johnson and Hilliary Scott.

“Pressed into duty for a second straight year, the duo plays on the Lions’ scout team during practice because of the roster’s lack of depth. …”

Boilers’ win helps them climb out of last place:

“WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Victories have been rare for Purdue this Big Ten season. But when the Boilermakers get one, they sure don’t make it dramatic.

“David Teague scored a career-high 25 points and Carl Landry added 24 as Purdue escaped the Big Ten basement by cruising to a 77-50 victory over Penn State at Mackey Arena on Wednesday night.

“Purdue (6-15, 2-8 Big Ten) moved ahead of the Nittany Lions — who have lost 29 consecutive league road games — in the conference standings. Purdue has not finished last in the Big Ten since the 1965-66 season, when the Boilers tied with Indiana for the final spot.

“Purdue’s other Big Ten victory this season came Jan. 30 in an 84-55 triumph over Michigan, which is in the midst of a seven-game losing streak.

“Average margin of victory in the two games: 28 points. …”

Centre Daily Times | 02/10/2005 | Purdue takes fight to Nittany Lions:

“WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The old dog has some fight left in him after all, which finally found its way into his young charges.

“The Nittany Lions wanted no piece of it.

“Struggling in its final season under legendary coach Gene Keady, Purdue was sharp, hungry and disciplined — everything Penn State wasn’t in a 77-50 Boilermaker win Wednesday.

David Teague scored a career-high 25 points — nearly double his season average — and Carl Landry added 24 as the Boilermakers (6-15, 2-8 Big Ten) climbed out of the Big Ten basement by shooting a sizzling 49 percent from the field.

“Purdue, last in the Big Ten in field-goal percentage defense coming in, held the Nittany Lions (7-15, 1-8) to a season-low 28 percent shooting as it handed them their worst loss of the season. …”

FightOnState.com: Sorry State:

“Penn State’s stranglehold on 11th-place in the Big Ten is as safe as ever. The Nittany Lions rolled over against sad-sack Purdue in West Lafayette Wednesday night, falling 77-50 and taking a major step toward securing their fourth straight last-place showing in the league.

“The Boilermakers entered the game at 1-8 in the Big Ten, while PSU, rested after a bye, was 1-7. They were 11th and 10th in the conference, respectively. Since this is the only regular-season meeting between the two, the game was fairly billed as a battle for the basement.

“In that respect, Ed DeChellis’s team won in a knockout.

“‘It was a game they had to have and a game we had to have,’ the coach told the Penn State Radio Network. ‘At the end of the day, they wanted it more and were playing to win. We were playing to play.’ …”