Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1193094
ing by two and less than 10 seconds re- maining in the game, Stevens turned an issue into a loss for the Crimson Tide. Stevens figured Reese would fire from 3- point range, so he positioned himself right in Reese's face, leaving him no space to get a shot away. Reese tried to drive against Stevens, and that didn't work either. All Reese could muster was a flailing heave that bounced off the backboard as he fell out of bounds along the baseline. Suffocated by Stevens' defense, Alabama's last chance never even cre- ated a scare. "I wanted to make him drive, and then I don't know what he did, but he did that," Stevens said, also somewhat confused by Alabama's chaotic last attempt. Stevens' heroics canceled out what at times was a startling performance by the Nittany Lions in the first half. Penn State was obviously bothered by Alabama's length and speed, and Cham- bers went so far as to say he thought his team looked sluggish at times, citing a tough six-game stretch against power conference teams. The Crimson Tide, by comparison, were fresh, with more than a week off to prepare for Penn State. That translated to a nine-point Ala- bama lead with three minutes to go in the first half. The Nittany Lions couldn't score, and Chambers desperately needed to find some kind of offensive source. So he turned to Curtis Jones, who was on the bench with two early fouls. Jones rewarded him with eight points in the last three minutes of the half, keeping the deficit manageable for the Lions at six points. Said Chambers, "I had a hunch Curtis was going to have fresh legs." He did, and Penn State needed them. The game's second half called for still more, though, as the Nittany Lions pulled themselves closer on more than one oc- casion, only to be beaten back by the Crimson Tide. Staying engaged after he started 2 for 11 from the field, Stevens gave the Lions what they needed on both ends of the floor. "Lamar played like a big-time player defensively," Chambers said. "The fact that your best player wants to play de- fense at all is fantastic." The wins over Maryland and Alabama lifted Penn State to 9-2 on the season and 1-1 in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions headed into their last two non- conference games of the sea- son – against Central Connecticut State on Dec. 20 and Cornell on Dec. 29 – feel- ing hopeful about the Big Ten campaign to come. For Stevens, who finished with 15 points against the Terps, the optimal word lately has been trust. His can sense the confidence from Brockington, Dread and the rest of his teammates, and he can stay within himself. Not a superhero, but still a star. "It feels great," Stevens said. "It takes a huge burden off my shoulders, just know- ing I can trust everybody and other guys will step up if I'm not feeling it that night. For me, it's allowed me to play freely and just play my game." ■ KEY PLAYER Brockington has come off the bench to average nearly 10 points per game for the Nittany Lions. Photo by Ryan Snyder