Doss High School graduate Jeff Brooks finished with 15 points and six rebounds, Andrew Jones had 12 points and each fueled key second-half runs to help Penn State put away Indiana 61-55 in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
Talor Battle scored 13 points, more than seven points fewer than his average and leaving him seven short of breaking Jesse Arnelle's school scoring record, which has stood since 1955.
More important, this victory could help Penn State (17-13) make its case to the NCAA selection committee, which is meeting this weekend just a few blocks away from Conseco Fieldhouse. The Nittany Lions were one of four Big Ten schools to finish with 9-9 conference marks, and many believe the tiebreaker will come in tourney play.
Penn State now faces a tougher test against No. 13 Wisconsin in Friday's quarterfinals.
Indiana (12-20) was led by Christian Watford with 15 points. The Hoosiers closed the season on a nine-game losing streak and with their third straight losing season � the first time that's happened since 1967-70.
It didn't look like it would this tough when Penn State opened the game on an 8-0 run.
But Victor Oladipo energized the Hoosiers, who took the cue and went on a 13-0 run to build a 15-9 lead with 11:44 left in the first half.
That's when Penn State changed the game plan.
With Battle bogged down by Jeremiah Rivers and frustrated to the point he was pleading with the officials for calls, Penn State started going inside.
Good move.
The Nittany Lions answered with seven straight points to retake the lead and Brooks' buzzer-beating tip-in gave Penn State a 28-27 halftime advantage.
Battle & Co. followed the same script in the second half.
Brooks scored seven points in the first 51/2 minutes as the Nittany Lions took a 42-35 lead, and after Battle knocked down his second three-pointer, Jones had a tip-in and then drove the baseline for a dunk to make it 49-44 with 9:10 left.
Penn State was just getting started. Brooks banked in a 5-foot turnaround jumper and Jones freed himself with a nifty cut for a layup to make it 53-44 with 7:04 to play.Jones also scored four points in the game-sealing 6-0 run.
