Penn St. 85, No. 8 Michigan St. 76

2/2/2008 9:43 PM

By GENARO C. ARMAS
AP Sports Writer

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -Stanley Pringle scored 19 points and Penn State went 16-of-20 from the foul line in the closing minutes to upend No. 8 Michigan State 85-76 Saturday night and snap the Spartans' five-game winning streak.

Talor Battle had 17 points and David Jackson added nine - all from the free throw line - as the Nittany Lions scored their first win over a ranked team in two years.

Things looked bleak for Penn State (11-10, 3-6 Big Ten), which snapped a six-game skid, after they squandered a 10-point advantage midway through the second half when Kalin Lucas darted through the lane for a bucket to give Michigan State (19-3, 7-2) a 60-58 lead.

But the Nittany Lions fought back against one of the best teams in the Big Ten by hitting their foul shots - an unlikely route to victory given Penn State was shooting just 59 percent from the line all season.

Penn State broke a tie and took the lead for good behind free throws by Jamelle Cornley, Mike Walker and Pringle to take a 74-69 lead with 3:20 left.

The Spartans had trouble finding good shots, while the Nittany Lions kept hitting at the foul line, including four in the last 37 seconds by Pringle.

Fans rushed the court after the buzzer sounded and the band played the alma mater. It was Penn State's first win over a ranked opponent since beating No. 6 Illinois on the road on Feb. 4, 2006.