Matt Freed, Post-Gazette Pitt's Yuri Demetris lands on the back of Penn State's Danny Morrissey going for a rebound. Click photo for larger image.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Midway through the first half yesterday, Pitt was faced with its first adversity of the season. Penn State had just gone on a 15-2 run and taken a one-point lead with 5:25 remaining before halftime.

On the road for the first time and getting blitzed by the home team, the Panthers needed a boost. In stepped Carl Krauser, down went the Nittany Lions.

Krauser took over the final 25 minutes, leading the No. 11 Panthers to an 84-71 victory at the Bryce Jordan Center. Krauser scored 21 of his career-high 28 points after Penn State took its only lead. He was 11 for 18 from the field with six assists, two steals and three turnovers in one of his best performances of his career.

"I had one of those Isiah Thomas flashbacks," Krauser said afterward. "It was time to take over the game.

"As a point guard, there's a certain time in the game where you can't let your team down. You have to have the passion in your heart to know that you have to do something. I wasn't going to let my team lose. I wasn't going to let us go out like that.

"I just wanted to pick it up and give my team a big emotional lift and lead by example."

The Panthers (7-0) answered Penn State's run with a 15-5 run of their own to end the half. Krauser scored five of those 15 points and adeptly ran the offense as Pitt built a 44-35 advantage at intermission after Ronald Ramon made a 3-pointer at the buzzer for his only points of the game.

Krauser continued his dominating performance in the second half, scoring 17 of his 28 points after intermission, including six in the first 1:48 of the half when Penn State came out gunning to regain the lead.

Krauser wasn't the only Pitt player to notch a career high yesterday. Sophomore guard Antonio Graves, making a strong pitch for the most improved player in the country, scored 18 points. He was 5 for 7 from the field, 2 for 2 from 3-point range and 6 for 8 from the free-throw line. For the season, Graves is 8 for 13 from behind the arc.

"Krauser had a great night," Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. "We thought we could contain Graves. Maybe we were worrying about other guys out there. Graves is much-improved from last year and is really a key for them."

Senior forward Chevon Troutman scored 18 points on 7 of 9 shooting and had five assists, two steals and a block. Sophomore center Chris Taft scored 11 points and had five rebounds.

Pitt shot a season-high 58.2 percent from the field.

Penn State, which had lost the previous three games in this series by more than 28 points per game, was ready to play this time.

The Nittany Lions outrebounded Pitt, 27-26, had the better part of the physical play early and kept things interesting until the final few minutes. The Lions, shooting 33 percent from 3-point range entering the game, made 11 of 22 shots from behind the arc yesterday -- four from sharp-shooting freshman Mike Walker and three apiece from Marlon Smith and Travis Parker.

But Penn State, much to DeChellis' dismay, committed 17 turnovers and didn't make any big plays at the right time to get in the game in the second half.

"I thought we had a chance," DeChellis said.