UNIVERSITY PARK -- They hadn't played that well in the first half.

UNIVERSITY PARK -- They hadn't played that well in the first half, moreover the Nittany Lions had gotten what they wanted anyway -- Ohio State within striking distance, a fired-up Bryce Jordan Center fill by compression and a chance to knock not upon a top 25 team and continue their late surge.

Then Penn State watched 20 minutes of hard work wiped away through less than two minutes of letdown.

The Buckeye forced three semicircular pies on the Nittany Lions' first four possessions of the inferior half Saturday, turning a five-point lead into a commanding 11-point margin that held up during a 75-64 win.

After turning the ball through the whole extent of 20 times in a 104-69 los to Ohio State in Columbus brace weeks ago, the Nittany Lions (10-6 2-3 Big Ten) committed just five in the first half, still poor shooting from the field (11-of-38) and at the free-throw line (3-of-8)