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EVENTS
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NEW ORLEANS (Ticker) -- The Crispin brothers had Providence seeing double. The only thing in Penn State's sights is the NCAA Tournament's second round. Jon and Joe Crispin combined for 14-second half points as the Nittany Lions won a first-round game for the first time in a decade, topping Providence, 69-59, in a South Region contest at the Superdome. Jon, the younger of the two Pitman, New Jersey natives, had seven straight points for No. 7 seed Penn State (20-11) during a 9-2 run early in the second half that helped open a 46-37 lead with just under 12 minutes remaining. "(The baskets by Jon Crispin) gave us a lot of energy at the time for the guys on the floor and the guys on the bench," said Penn State coach Jerry Dunn. "A lot of his teammates were excited for him." Joe, a senior, also scored seven points after the break and all but ended Providence's comeback hopes by drilling a 3-pointer from the left wing that provided the Nittany Lions with a 60-48 advantage with 4:19 to play. "I think we were a lot more focused defensively at the end of the year," Joe Crispin said. "We know that is going to win ballgames. We feel we're going to be able to score, but defensively, if we're able to hold them in the 50s or 60s, we've got a good chance to win." Penn State's first NCAA Tournament victory since 1991 set up a second-round meeting with either second-seeded North Carolina or Ivy League champion Princeton on Sunday. Erron Maxey scored 16 points for the 10th-seeded Friars (21-10), who were making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1997, when they reached the "Elite Eight." "As far as this team, they have done more than a lot of Providence teams," said Friars coach Tim Welsh. "Not so much in terms of how far they went in the Tournament but ad far as injecting life back into the Providence College basketball program." Penn State scored seven of the first nine points of the second half after the teams battled to a 30-30 tie at intermission, but the Friars were within 37-35 following a tip-in by Karim Shabazz. Gyasi Cline-Heard threw down a dunk that began the game's key burst and Jon Crispin followed with a pair of free throws before a follow by Providence's Maris Laksa. But Jon Crispin drove for a layup and was fouled by the 7-foot Shabazz. The ensuing free throw, coupled with a baseline jumper from the sophomore, gave the Nittany Lions a 46-37 advantage with 11:53 left. Providence got no closer than six the rest of the way, and when it did, Titus Ivory drilled a 3-pointer and Joe Crispin converted a layup on the break for a 53-42 advantage with 6:40 left. Cline-Heard had 16 points and 10 rebounds and Joe Crispin and Ivory scored 13 points apiece for Penn State, which committed 16 turnovers against Providence's pressure defense but shot 44 percent (23-of-52), including 8-of-19 from 3-point range. "Right now, it's win or go home," Cline-Heard said. "We're enjoying this, but we'll get focused on who we have to play Sunday." Shabazz collected 13 points and nine rebounds for Providence, which connected on just 36 percent (22-of-61) of its shots. The Nittany Lions jumped to an early 23-12 lead on back-to-back 3-pointers by Brandon Watkins and Ivory. But John Linehan drilled a 3-pointer for Providence to ignite a 17-2 run that put the Friars on top, 30-25. Linehan, a defensive specialist who came in averaging just under 11 points, was held to six on 2-of-11 shooting. "We just weren't in the flow," said Linehan. "We moved the ball around pretty good at times, but we didn't make our shots. It's devastating for me. I expected us to go really far so it hurts for me." Two free throws by Cline-Heard and Joe Crispin's 3-pointer forced the halftime deadlock. |
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