Centre Daily Times | 03/03/2005 | Gophers hold off Nittany Lions’ late rally attempt in home finale:
“UNIVERSITY PARK — No, it shouldn’t have been as close as four, and Minnesota would be wise to realize just how close its bubble came to bursting.
“But under the turnovers and the fouls and the errant shots, there was a game in there, a real game, not a few brief moments of hope but a legitimate shot at a Big Ten win.
“Down 14 points at the half Wed-nesday night, Penn State mustered up whatever heart it had left in this painful season, clawing back to within three points with five minutes to play before eventually falling to Minnesota in its Bryce Jordan Center finale 73-69.
“When you’ve dropped 10 straight and 15 of 16, though, only four of them by single digits, pulling out the close ones requires more than heart, and the Nittany Lions (7-21, 1-14 Big Ten) didn’t have the rest.
“‘When it got tough and we needed to make a play offensively or defensively, we didn’t make that play,’ Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. ‘We let them score, or we turned it over when we were trying to get a basket at a crucial time.’ …”