Centre Daily Times | 12/29/2004 | Crusaders cruise to victory over Nittany Lions:
“Starting strong hasn’t been a strength for the Nittany Lions this season, but
Penn State took it to a whole new level Tuesday.
“The Nittany Lions had 15 points and 13 turnovers in the first half, spotted Valparaiso a 24-point lead early in the second and couldn’t recover, falling to the Crusaders 69-56 in the first round of the ASU/azcentral.com Hoops Classic at Wells Fargo Arena.
“Penn State will play Long Island, a 92-63 loser to Arizona State, at 6:30 p.m. today in the consolation game.
“Penn State (5-6) lost its fourth straight game and fell to 2-5 away from the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions hit their first two shots, then finished the half 2-of-18 and trailed 34-15 at halftime.
“Behind a spirited effort from freshman forward Geary Claxton, who scored 15 of his game-high 17 points in the second half, Penn State picked up its intensity in the second half and got as close as nine on two occasions, but couldn’t come back from its largest deficit of the season.”