Penn State G Battle OK after injury on dunk

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Tests on Penn State leading scorer Talor Battle's bruised left thumb came back normal, and the guard is expected to be ready for the Big Ten opener next week.

Battle was taken to the hospital Tuesday night after injuring the hand on a dunk in the final minutes of the Nittany Lions' 74-64 home loss to Maine. The speedy 6-footer is second in the Big Ten in scoring (20.6 points).

But the loss to Maine puts even more pressure on Penn State (7-4) entering conference play Monday at Indiana. The Nittany Lions last made the NCAA tournament in 2001.