Photo courtesy of IU Athletics:

t critical times, we want to make a definitive statement, in the moment, about what something means, but in reality, you need the benefit of time to provide true perspective of what that something really meant.

On Sunday, the moments immediately following the death of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno were given in the form of a basketball to Penn State and Indiana.

With the benefit of just over an hour’s notice, the two teams were asked to alleviate the stress and fill the onerous chasm left by Paterno’s legacy.

After a ceremonious moment of silence that billowed throughout the back corridors of Assembly Hall, IU defeated Penn State 73-to-54 Sunday at Assembly Hall, led by Cody Zeller’s inspired and efficient play to improve to 16-4, snapping a three game losing streak.

“He is very talented and very gifted,” Penn State head coach Pat Chambers said of Zeller.

“He plays hard. He plays physical. He plays tough. He makes difficult shots. He is going to be tough to deal with in the next however many years he is going to be here.”

Zeller finished with 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting while dominating the paint on both ends of the floor, but more importantly, he commanded the ball from his teammates early on.

As a result, the freshman standout accounted for nine of the Hoosiers first 13 points – three of which coming off a beautiful assist to Will Sheehey – and finished the half with 12 in all to keep the game within reach.

“I thought that Cody [Zeller] played an efficient game with the scoring, with the passing and with the movement,” Tom Crean said.

After a hard-fought and vigorous performance out of Penn State in the opening 20 minutes – a trait instilled for 62 years by Paterno – the Nittany Lions were trumped by an infusion of aggressive play led by Will Sheehey.

Sheehey’s eight points provided the Hoosiers with a much-needed spark off the bench, helping IU to pull away in the second half after trailing Penn State 29-to-27 at halftime.

Sheehey’s dazzling up-and-under layup followed by a Matt Roth three-pointer – who is shooting 70 percent (21-30) from three-point range since Sheehey’s injury — put IU in command midway through the second half 45-35.

“Will did a really good job and you saw today why we missed him and his ability to lock down,” Crean said. “He had great resolve.”

IU, which struggled to string any kind of run together in the first half came out of the locker room ready to execute. The Hoosiers started the second half shooting 8-11, breaking the game wide-open.

“It’s important that you never felt like you pulled away,” Crean said. “As I told them, 16 wins, 16 different ways. It doesn’t change. If you do it right, you just take the experience from those games and it helps you somewhere along the line.

The Hoosiers have often found themselves caught in a game of runs over the course of their first 20 games. This was not the case today. IU did not fight back against Penn State, nor did they catch fire.

Although the focal point of many game-plans, Cody Zeller once again played with poise and efficiency Sunday. Photo courtesy of IU Athletics.

They grinded the Nittany Lions down to the core and did not hesitate in finishing them off, a characteristic they have said to have been sorely lacking.

It was a stop on defense followed by a well-executed set-play on the offensive end. One after another.

“I think to hold a team to the shooting percentage that we did, especially in the second half, says a lot about our guys resolve in the defensive end and we were probably a little more anal than ever about closing a game out,” Crean said.

Bouncing back for the Hoosiers was junior guard Jordan Hulls, who endured struggles in several categories during the Hoosiers three-game losing streak.

After a slow start, Hulls heated up in the second half, finding his range and scoring all 14 of his points.

More notably was his command of the ball and the Hoosier offense.

“The number one thing that had to happen was to take care of the ball; the number one thing on defense was to really control the looks that they got,” Crean said.

Along with Verdell Jones, IU’s starting backcourt did not account for a single turnover, which in turn limited Penn States ability to get easy points in transition.

“Any time you can get a stop and run the plays you want to run and execute, that’s a dagger for the other team,” Hulls said.

IU was able to put its three game losing streak in the past Sunday against Penn State. The Hoosiers will be back in action on Thursday, Jan. 26, when they make an always-dangerous trip up to Madison to take on the Wisconsin Badgers Thursday at 9 p.m. on ESPN 2.