Big Ten’s Penn State, Minnesota In Nit Final
With the man who exposed its off-court problems to America watching from the stands, Fresno State’s troubled season ended with a loss.
Kevin Clark scored a career-high 30 points and Sam Jacobson added 24 as Minnesota (19-15) advanced to the NIT championship - and a Big Ten matchup against Penn State - with a 91-89 victory in overtime against the Bulldogs.
Fresno State’s season of scandal, which included arrests, suspensions and substance-abuse problems for some of its star players, was recently the focus of a “60 Minutes” feature by CBS correspondent Mike Wallace.
After the story was aired, Fresno State coach Jerry Tarkanian criticized Wallace for not being upfront with him about its content. But at halftime, Wallace, a Madison Square Garden regular for Knicks games, said he and Tarkanian had spoken before the game and had “a very civilized conversation.”
Jermaine Fowlkes led Fresno State (21-12) with 25 points and Chris Herren had 14 - all in the second half.
In the second semifinal, freshman Joe Crispin scored 18 points and the Nittany Lions (19-12) advanced to the championship with a 66-60 win over Georgia (19-15).
Women’s NIT
At Waco, Texas, Lisa Shepherd and Helen Darling each made a free throw in the final 20 seconds as Penn State (21-13) held off Baylor (20-11) for a 59-56 win for the NIT women’s title.
xxxx ON TV Wednesday: NIT championship, Minnesota (19-15) vs. Penn State (19-12), 4:30 p.m. (ESPN)