STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Talor Battle trotted back on defense with a swagger in his step and a grin on his face in overtime.
After missing the first seven shots of the second half, Battle had found his shooting stroke at the most opportune time.
The point guard tied the game at 65 with a 3-pointer at the end of regulation and scored eight of his game-high 24 points in overtime as Penn State rallied for a dramatic 77-73 victory Tuesday night over George Mason in the first round of the NIT.
"At practice I always joke around with coach when we do our last-second things, I always try to shoot it. I like to call myself 'Mr. Big Shot."' Battle said. "It's more of a joke, but during the games, coach wants the ball in my hands to make a play."
The Nittany Lions (23-11) get a day to rest before hosting Rhode Island in the second round Thursday night at the Jordan Center. The Rams defeated Niagara, 68-62 earlier Tuesday.
Spurned by the NCAA tournament, Penn State could smile again after getting their first postseason victory since upsetting North Carolina to advance to the NCAA regional semifinals in 2001.
Postseason play is rare at Penn State, which has struggled to just reach .500 for much of the last decade. Coach Ed DeChellis, though, hopes his program has finally broken through this season, even with the NCAA slight.
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"Tim doesn't know this, but I told them if we won the NIT, we'd get them rings and cut down the nets," DeChellis said, referring to athletic director Tim Curley.
Sitting in the back of the media room, Curley smiled and said he would indeed follow through on DeChellis' promise.
They can can thank Battle -- again -- for getting the team this far. The Big Ten's leading scorer has been been hitting big shots all season for Penn State.
He nailed two more 3s in overtime, scoring all but four of Penn State's 12 points in the extra frame.
"Confidence grows with success," Patriots coach Jim Larranaga said. "They're going to be able to go to him down the stretch."
John Vaughn's deep 3 with 7.7 seconds in OT drew Mason (22-11) within 75-73, but Stanley Pringle hit two foul shots with 7.0 seconds left to finally seal the win.
Jeff Brooks scored 13 for Penn State, and freshman Chris Babb had 11, including two NBA-range 3s that highlighted a 9-0 run to give Penn State a 29-20 lead in the first half.
Cameron Long had 16 points to lead the Patriots, and Dre Smith and Andre Cornelius both had 12. Mason hasn't won a postseason game since their frenetic run to the NCAA Final Four in 2006.
The team looked as if it would snap that streak Tuesday night after Darryl Monroe scored two key buckets in the final three minutes of regulation, including a layup with 1:01 left that gave Mason a 63-62 lead.
Battle couldn't convert on two chances to take the lead in the final minute of regulation, missing a runner in the lane as the shot clock expired and slipping on another drive to turn the ball over with 6 seconds left.
Smith hit two foul shots with 5 seconds left in regulation for the 65-62 lead before Battle hurried down the court for his buzzer-beating 3.
"Talor Battle stepped up and made a huge shot," Larranaga said. "They took care of business in overtime."
Up 38-31 at halftime, the Nittany Lions appeared to be sapped of momentum in the opening minute of the second half after senior forward Jamelle Cornley, the team's emotional leader, reinjured a left shoulder that had been bothering him the past six weeks.
Cornley spent much of the rest of the game on the bench with the left arm in a sling. It was unclear whether he will be available for Thursday's game.
