Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Snaps Streak With Victory Over Penn State
2/22/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 22, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) -- Marshall Strickland scored 22 points, including seven 3-pointers and a clinching free throw with 20 seconds to go, as Indiana snapped a five-game losing streak with a 69-65 victory over Penn State on Wednesday night.
It was Indiana's second game and first at home since coach Mike Davis said last week that he would step down at the end of the season.
The Hoosiers (14-10, 6-7 Big Ten), who had lost seven of their past eight games, overcame a 10-point deficit in the first half, built their lead to seven points early in the final period and held off a late rally by the Nittany Lions (13-12, 5-9).
A basket by Penn State's Jamelle Cornley tied the game at 63 before Strickland hit his career-high seventh 3-pointer with just over a minute to play.
Travis Parker then hit two free throws for the Lions with 45 seconds left, but after a turnover by Indiana's Marco Killingsorth, Geary Claxton missed a shot and the Hoosiers rebounded. Strickland was immediately fouled and hit one of two foul shots for a 67-65 lead.
Then, after Ben Luber missed a 3-point attempt for Penn State, Roderick Wilmont finished the scoring for Indiana with a pair of free throws with 9 seconds remaining.
Penn State, which beat Indiana 71-68 at State College last week, has never won in 13 games in Assembly Hall.
Killingsworth added 14 points for the Hoosiers. Claxton led Penn State with 19 points, and Parker added 15, all but two in the second half.
Indiana got most of its scoring on 3-pointers. The Hoosiers hit 15 shots from long range to just six baskets from inside the arc.
The Hoosiers' first three baskets were all 3-pointers for a 9-3 lead in the first two minutes. But Penn State's next four baskets were also 3-pointers, including two by Claxton. A basket by Cornley completed a 14-2 run for a 17-11 Penn State lead.
The Nittany Lions took their biggest lead at 25-15 with 3-pointers by David Jackson and Milos Bogetic and two free throws by Claxton.
Indiana rallied in the final four minutes of the half. Earl Calloway's third 3-pointer put the Hoosiers in front for the first time since the game's opening minutes, but a basket by Parker with 35 seconds left gave Penn State a 35-34 lead at the break.
Two more 3-pointers by Strickland put Indiana back in front early in the second half, and there were four more lead changes before Indiana took control in the final minutes.
Strickland's 22 points made him the 40th Indiana player to score at least 1,000 points in a career. He now has 1,007.
