NEW YORK — Penn State turned the NIT championship game into a party, and several thousand Nittany Lions fans sure seemed like the hosts.

Jamelle Cornley scored 18 points and the Nittany Lions used a big second half to beat Baylor 69-63 Thursday night to win the NIT title, just the second postseason tournament championship in school history.

Super sophomore Talor Battle added 12 points, all in the second half, for the Nittany Lions (27-11), who were spurred on by raucous chants of "We are ... Penn State," led by none other than Joe Paterno, the 82-year-old football coach sitting about four rows behind the team's bench.

LaceDarius Dunn scored 18 points to lead Baylor (24-15), which hadn't won a postseason game since 1950 before its run to the NIT final.