Penn State holds on to upend No. 22 Illinois, 54-52
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An Illinois shot was blocked at the buzzer to give Penn State a 54-52 win Thursday night over the visiting Illini.
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Tim Frazier hit a floater in the lane with 8 seconds left and Jermaine Marshall blocked Sam Maniscalco's layup at the buzzer to give Penn State a 54-52 upset of No. 22 Illinois on Thursday night.
Frazier finished with 12 points and nine assists for the Nittany Lions (10-10, 2-5 Big Ten), who ended a three-game losing skid.
Off a timeout, Frazier drove at the top of the key before Jon Graham's pick freed him from defender Brandon Paul.
The Illini (15-4, 4-2) lost for the first time since re-entering the Top 25 this week. They had a short stay atop the Big Ten as the league's lone one-loss team in conference play.
The Illini chipped away at a nine-point deficit several times in the second half. Brandon Paul's 3 with 39 seconds left tied the game at 52.
Cammeron Woodyard finished with 17 points for Penn State, while Marshall finished with seven points and five rebounds.
But the highlight of Marshall's night was his lunging tip to deflect Maniscalco's shot at the end of the game.
Wearing an alternate, all gray uniform for the first time in program history, the Nittany Lions scored a key win against Illinois to rock the Jordan Center.
The win was first-year coach Patrick Chambers first victory over a ranked opponent in Happy Valley.
First Published January 20, 2012 12:00 am
