Champaign, Ill. -- The Penn State men's basketball team (11-9; 3-6 Big Ten) broke through in a big way Saturday as the Nittany Lions ended the nation's longest home court winning streak by knocking off No. 6 Illinois (20-3; 6-3 Big Ten) 66-65 in Assembly Hall. The Nittany Lions, playing a program record fifth straight game against a ranked opponent, had come close to upsets twice before during the stretch. This time they jumped for joy when officials waved off Rich McBride's three-pointer in the final seconds after replays showed the ball still to be in his hands when time expired.
Officlal Gene Crawford said the initial ruling on the floor was a good shot, but the rules require the video review.
"We had to play it back a couple of times because the monitor flickered," he said. "It was finally determined that the ball was still in his hand when the red light went on."
The win ended Illinois' 33-game home court win streak, tied with Gonzaga for the longest in the nation, and marked the highest ranked opponent the Nittany Lions have ever beaten on the road in the 110-year history of the program. It was Penn State's first win over a ranked opponent since knocking off No. 5 North Carolina in the 2001 NCAA Tournament and the Lions' first road win over a ranked foe since downing No. 21 Kentucky in the second game of the 2000-01 season.
"Sometimes as a coach, you get a gut feeling," said Nittany Lions coach Ed DeChellis. "I really never felt like we were out of things."
Penn State was led on the night by senior Travis Parker who broke out with 21 big points. Parker rebounded a Mike Walker missed three in the waning seconds and made a strong move in the lane for the winning basket with 8.5 seconds to play.
"I saw the ball come off and I think (Rich) McBride tried to box me out," Parker said. "I think I just tried to push him under a little bit, grab the rebound, score, and thats what I did."
The Lions' lone senior was 8-of-11 on the night and 4-of-5 from three-point range adding five rebounds and five assists and numerous big shots.
Penn State committed just nine turnovers while making nine steals on the game and shot a sizzling 51.7 percent in the second half, including 6-of-10 from the arc, to overcome a 39-25 Illinois halftime lead. Penn State outscored the Illini 41-26 in the second half. Geary Claxton added 20 points and six rebounds. Jamelle Cornley chipped in 10 points and six rebounds and Mike Walker once again was big off the bench hitting three, three-pointers for nine points all in the last nine minutes.
Illinois was paced by McBride who scored 17 points, hitting 5-of-9 from three-point range but having his biggest shot of the night waved off.
Claxton's strong play, including a highlight reel reverse slam off a Ben Luber toss, helped Penn State cut into the Illini lead throughout the second half. When Parker grabbed a rebound and kicked it to Walker for a three the Nittany Lions tied the score at 59-59 with 4:10 to play. All-American Dee Brown answered with a three on the other end, but Walker came right back with another big three and knotted the game again at 62-62. McBride then hit a three for a 65-62 lead for Illinois. The teams traded possessions and then Parker got a steal and then converted on the other end to cut the lead to 65-64 with 1:41 to play. Neither team scored again until Parker's shot in the lane with 8.5 seconds remaining that gave Penn State its first lead and the winning margin. Penn State outscored Illinois 18-6 in the final 8:30 of play.
The Illini jumped out to a 13-0 lead early on the strength of three early three-pointers from Rich McBride. Penn State went nearly six minutes without scoring until Claxton got the Lions on the board. A strong first half from Parker, who had two threes and 11 points in the first stanza, helped the Lions battle back. A Parker three got the Lions to within 10 at 30-20 with 4:56 to play, but Brown responded with a pair of threes and pushed the margin back to 16 at 36-20. Claxton picked up his third foul at the 4:11 mark, but would not foul again the rest of the game. A pair of free throws from Cornley and a David Jackson three cut the lead to 36-25, but Brian Randle drained a three and neither team scored in the last two minutes of the half as the teams went to the locker room with Illinois holding a 39-25 lead. The Illini shot 51.7 percent in the half and 6 of 14 from behind the arc as Penn State shot just 33.3 percent.
"They didn't quit. They kept battling," said Illinois coach Bruce Weber. "Every time we would change match-ups, they would exploit our match-ups."
Penn State returns to the Bryce Jordan Center Wednesday, Feb. 8 for an 8:00 p.m. match-up with Minnesota. The game with the Golden Gophers will begin a three-game home stand for Penn State. The Lions will also take on Wisconsin (Feb. 11) and Indiana (Feb. 15) in the Jordan Center.