by Kevin Wesley

There was nothing new in those closing seconds, not for Penn State fans. The scrappy, clutch-shooting guard hit the big shot when it counted most. Business as usual.

Except this time, Talor Battle wasn’t the only scrappy, clutch-shooting guard on the court. And this time, he didn’t get the last shot.

Penn State’s first NCAA trip in a decade ended in heartbreak Thursday afternoon in Tucson when Temple guard Juan Fernandez hit a leaning, last-second jumper to give the Owls a 66-64 win. Just 11 seconds earlier, Battle had scored the last of his 23 points on a game-tying three-pointer that had Nittany Lion fans dreaming of victory.

Instead, Temple will live the fairy tale for another day. The Lions’ season, and Battle’s career, are over.

Penn State (19-15) had nothing to be ashamed of in defeat. The Lions, a No. 10 seed, played nearly the entire second half without second-leading scorer Jeff Brooks, and still matched the Owls (26-7) step for step. Tim Frazier continued his late-season surge, finishing with 15 points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals, while David Jackson added 14 points for the Lions.

Temple got 23 apiece from Fernandez and guard Ramone Moore.

The Lions led by as many as nine in the first half, taking a 20-11 lead on a three-pointer by Battle with 12 minutes left. Battle scored a team-high 13 in the opening period, hitting three straight three-pointers early on to pace Penn State. Fernandez led the Owls with 17 in the first half.

With Temple up three a little more than a minute into the second half, Brooks reinjured his right shoulder, which he’d dislocated against Illinois in early February. After swinging his arm to block a shot, Brooks lay on the ground for a moment in obvious discomfort before being escorted off the court. He came back to the bench a few minutes later with the shoulder heavily wrapped.

The loss of their second-best player didn’t seem to faze the Lions, who quickly tied the game on a David Jackson three and regained the lead on Cam Wooyard’s baseline jumper with 17 minutes left.

The game stayed close the rest of the way, with leads exchanged and neither team leading by more than four. Temple took a one-point lead into the final minute and went up three, 64-61, on a pair of Fernandez free throws with 28 seconds left. That set up Battle, left alone well behind the three-point arc, to tie the game in typical fashion with 11 seconds to play.

Penn State defended well on the final possession, forcing Fernandez into an awkward 16-foot jumper that fell true.

Earlier coverage

• Penn State Basketball: A Brief Celebration for NCAA-Bound DeChellis (March 14, 2011)

• Penn State Basketball: Lions Go NCAA Dancing vs. Temple (March 13, 2011)