PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP)_ Freshman Geary Claxton scored 10 of his 17 points in the second half, including two decisive foul shots near the end, to help short-handed Penn State to a 83-80 win over Rutgers Wednesday night.
Penn State (4-2), which has finished last in the Big 10 for three straight years and was picked to do so again this year, won its third straight while giving Rutgers (2-1) its first loss of the season.
The Nittany Lions played nearly the entire game without guard Marlon Smith, the team's second-leading scorer, who sprained his ankle in the third minute and never returned. On Nov. 19, the Lions lost guard Ben Luber, who asked to become inactive due to personal reasons.
Claxton and fellow freshmen Danny Morrissey and Mike Walker picked up the slack with a combined 44 points.
With Penn State holding an 80-78 lead, Claxton made two foul shots with 8.4 seconds left. After a timeout, Quincy Douby hit a basket for Rutgers with 3.4 seconds remaining.
Penn State's Travis Parker, who had 13 of his 15 points after intermission, made one of two with 2.7 seconds left, and Rutgers' Ricky Shields missed a desperation 70-footer at the buzzer.
Aaron Johnson had 17 points and seven rebounds for Penn State, while Walker added 15 and Morrissey had 12 and six assists. Shields led Rutgers with 21 points, while Douby had 20
