“The Penn State men’s basketball team finished out its 2004-05 home schedule with its best effort in the last six games, as the Nittany Lions were defeated by a Minnesota Golden Gophers team that needed a victory to stay on the NCAA tournament bubble.
“Penn State (7-22, 1-14 Big Ten) lost to Minnesota (20-9, 10-6), 73-69, last night in front of a Bryce Jordan Center crowd that was as into the game as much as any crowd all season.
“‘Look at how many people were here tonight [6,266], and it still felt like a sellout tonight, compared to when we are down 30,’ Penn State freshman guard Mike Walker said. ‘It’s a lot easier to have energy when you are close, and it was fun to play tonight even though we lost.’ …”