I MONDAY, FEB. 8, 2010 NCAA Basketball Villanova at West Virginia, 7 p.m., ESPN Kansas 9 p.m., ESPN at Texas San Antonio at L.A. Lakers, 10:30 p.m.. TNT Exhibition matchup helps Lions prepare The Penn State men's lacrosse team used a scrim mage against Hobart to help shake off rust from the off season. Big Ten play begins with loss for Lions Following a strong start to the season, the Penn State women's tennis team lost its conference opener this past weekend. Three-point stance could be outlawed MIAMI A ban on the three-point stance? NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says it's possible. Concerned about concus sions, Goodell said the league will keep looking for ways to make the game safer. Speaking on CBS's "Face the Nation" hours before the Super Bowl, he didn't rule out the idea of banning the three point stance for linemen to reduce the ferocity of colli sions at the line of scrim mage. "As you'll see tonight, you'll see a lot of players that never get down in a three-point stance," Goodell said Sunday. "So it's possible that would happen." While science is still trying to determine the long-term effects of concussions, Goodell said, the league has made progress in increasing awareness about the severity of such injuries. "For many years the cul ture had been quite differen I that concussions weren' serious injuries," he said. New (Means' SB win caps special season There's a party in N'awlins. And Mardi Gras isn't for another week The Saints' Super Bowl victory against the Colts completed the ultimate rebuilding project for a post- Hurricane Katrina city. Some of us are disappoint ed Peyton Manning's place in history will take a hit follow ing a fourth-quarter, game losing interception. But there's no denying the Saints as best in show for 2009. Big Ten-grad Drew Brees out-dueled Manning in South Beach and Sean Payton proved to be the better rookie Super Bowl coach as much as it pains the local folks pulling for former Penn State assistant and current Colts coach Jim Caldwell. For once, Disney can wait. Bourbon Street is the place to be. For more of our thoughts, and to share yours, visit the MAKE PLAYS blog at psucot leglan.com. Q: Who was the last Big Ten grad to win Super Bowl MVP? Friday's answer. The last defensive player to win Super Bowl MVP was Dexter Jackson in 2003. Buzzer-beater sinks Lions Losing brings team By Andrew J. Cassava!! COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER It was almost too painful for Ed DeChellis to watch. With his view of Westbrook's re lease, the Penn State men's basket- ball coach knew the Minnesota guard's shot was going in. Talor Battle also knew it was going in but for a different reason Having stormed back from a late six- point deficit to tie the game in the final seconds, Battle said given the Lions' struggles this year it was almost too fitting that Lawrence Westbrook's step-back jumper hit the bottom of the net as the buzzer sounded, giv ing Minnesota a 66-64 win. "Right when the ball went up, I just looked at the rim, and, I kid you not, when it left his hands I just saw it going in," the junior guard said. "It just dropped. and in my head I just felt deflated, and that's not a good feeling. That's been the way luck has treated us.- All season long, the Lions (8-15) have struggled to make the big play late in the game to snap their win less streak to start conference play which now sits at 11. In a frantic final sequence. it looked like the Lions finally made that play On a scramble for a loose ball, junior forward Jeff Brooks fed Battle under the rim for a lavup to tie the game with nine seconds left. With the crowd on its feet, and DeChellis on the court screaming for his players to get back, the Gophers negated that play almost as quickly as it happened. "It never even really sank in before they turned around and hit a shot, - Battle said. "The positive is that we did make some plays, but still it just wasn't enough." Westbrook. who went 0-for-5 from 3-point range, was heavily guarded for the entire possession but still refused to give up the ball. He drove to his left, and, when he couldn't get by Lion defender Chris Babb. took a step back. With his foot See WESTBROOK, Page 12. Hot 3-point shooting sparks Bucks' rally Ohio State blows past Penn State with a Big Ten-record 17 3-pointers By Alex Angert COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER Chants of "airball" coming from the band and student section echoed throughout the Bryce Jordan Center. After Ohio State's Sarah WOMEN'S Schulze misfired BASKETBALL from 3-point range with just more than six minutes remaining and and the Lady Lions up by one, the Penn Ohio State State fans let her hear it. They were shut up really quick On the Penn State Buckeyes' next possession, senior Maria Moeller answered back, draining a 3-point er to put No. 8 Ohio State ahead for the first time since the opening minutes of the game. Moeller's 3-pointer was just one Streak ends in four-set win over Pride Chloe Elmer/Collegian lan Hendries (12) attacks the ball during the match against Springfield in the South Gym at Rec Hall on Saturday. The Lions won the match 3-1. Lawrence MEN'S BASKETBALL Minnesota Penn State Penn State guard Talor Battle (12) goes up for a Minnesota defenders. PSU lost its 11th-straight game of 17 for the Buckeyes, who used their sharp shooting to run away with a 86-73 victory to give Penn State its fourth-straight loss. "That is just a ridiculous num ber," coach Coquese Washington said after the game. "They had a great shooting night. Coming into the game, their best 3-point shoot er was Brittany Johnson, and she is shooting at 49 percent. She is really good, but as a team they aren't usually shooting close to 70 percent." While the Lions were busy dou ble-covering Ohio State's star cen ter Jantel Lavender in the paint, the rest of the Buckeyes were able to get wide open as Penn State was unable to rotate to the ball quick enough. Ohio State finished the game shooting 17-for-26 from 3-point dis tance, a Big Ten record for 3-point field goals made. Johnson had four 3-pointers, Samantha Prahalis added five and Tayler Hill and Moeller each con tributed three. Yet despite the record amount of 3s, Penn State was in the driver's seat for most of the game. "We were still in position, even with their hot shooting, to win the ter Tesor er C. shot against two Saturday. Tyra Grant (1) fends off two Ohio State players during Sunday afternoon's 86-73 loss at the Bryce Jordan Center. Grant led the Lions with 22 points. game," Washington said ran out of gas." Washington's team forced 18 turnovers in the first half alone and outscored the Buckeyes 9 1-3 on Jantel Lavender's size caused points off turnovers to go into the matchup problems for the Lady half leading by 11. Lions. SPORTS, Page 12. By Emily Kaplan COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER It was a streak nobody talked about, nobody cared about and some people didn't even know about. So when the Penn State men's MEN' S volleyball team VOLLEYBALL dropped a set to Springfield College Saturday night snapping the Nittany Lions stretch of 23 wins Penn State over EIVA oppo nents without los ing a set it did n't seem like any one was going to Springfield miss the Lions' record-setting streak. NE DAILY COLLEGIAN closer By Andrew Robinson - C,LECAN STAFF WRITER Eleven-straight times it has left the floor after losing a Big Ten game. and with every loss there was a chance for the Penn State men's basketball team to splinter. There was a chance for the remainder of season to go to But if anything. the Nittany Lions say they have come closer together while fighting for their first conference win. - We talked about sticking together. - Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said after Saturday's 66- 64 loss to Minnesota. "We're going through a very difficult time, but that's who we have. We have each other and we've got to continue to battle." Losing on a buzzer-beating jump shot. DeChellis said he had a lot to tell his team after the game. The coach talked about tough ness. sticking together and build ing character through the losses. Despite their record, the play ers have stood behind their coach, with forward D.J. Jackson calling the team a "family"' Guard Talor Battle has supported DeChellis all year and said he just wants to get See LOSING. Page 12. .40 See how the Collegian's men's basketball reporters graded the team after its last-second loss: psucollegian.com Alex Bentley shot 8-for-8 from the floor for 16 points during the See SHOOTING, Page 12. We just Coach Mark Pavlik merely shrugged after his team finished off the Pride 3-1 (30-14, 27-30, 30-25, 30-24) at Rec Hall's South Gym. It's over," he said, adding noth ing else about his team's broken streak. which dated back to a win over Princeton on March 8, 2008. Pavlik said he was more con cerned about his team's dismissal effort in the second set than the chance to extend an impressive record. After dominating Springfield in the first set the Lions out-hit the Pride .548 to -.033 Pavlik subbed in three non:starters to begin the second. Lions struggled mightily, The South Gym's dimensions gave the Lions fits I SPORTS, Page 12 See WIN. Page 12
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