When freshman guard Talor Battle heaved the ball in victory, the celebration was on.

The Penn State men's basketball team enjoyed an 85-76 victory over No. 8 Michigan State on Saturday with the storming of the Bryce Jordan Center court.

"This feels like a millions dollars," Battle said. "Everybody's storming the court, holding people up."

Fans prepared to storm the court once the outcome of the game appeared to be decided, with Penn State only building on its lead in the last few minutes.

The win is the first against a ranked team since the Nittany Lions (11-10, 3-6 Big Ten) won at No. 6 Illinois, 66-65 in 2006, and it is their first home win over a top-25 opponent since beating No. 6 Illinois in 2001.

The two stories of the day were guard play and the free throw shooting. The two guards -- Battle and junior Stanley Pringle, combined for 38 points and six 3-pointers. Junior forward Jamelle Cornley and senior guard Mike Walker also scored in double figures for the Lions, finishing with 15 and 10, respectively.

On defense, the Lions held Michigan State (19-3, 7-2) to 2-for-14 shooting on 3-pointers, including 1-for-5 for senior guard Drew Neitzel. After coming in averaging just more than 14 points a game, Neitzel scored only six points Saturday night.

Penn State shot 51 free throws, 30 more than the Spartans. And though the Lions struggled at the foul line most of the game, they hit the shots when they mattered, making 16 of their last 20 free throws.

Redshirt freshman D.J. Jackson was especially clutch from the charity stripe, making nine of his 11 attempts. Penn State scored its last 20 points from the foul line.

"It's a great win for our kids. [Our] kids hung in there and fought," Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. "It's great for our fans, for our students."

Read Monday's Daily Collegian for more men's basketball coverage.