“The first five minutes of the second half is the most important [part of the game].”

Let… “The first five minutes of the second half is the most important [part of the game].”

Let the records show that Carl Krauser believes in what he says.

On a night in which he controlled the floor of the Petersen Events Center, Krauser made sure that when Pitt came out of the locker room for the final 20 minutes with a 49-24 lead over Penn State, they didn’t let up for a second.

On the Panthers’ first possession of the half, he drove the lane for a layup. A minute later, he found Ronald Ramon on a fast break, assisting on the sophomore’s jumper.

And then he got fancy.

First, he found John DeGroat for an alley-oop. Pacing slowly back and forth with his dribble at the top of the key waiting for a play to develop, Krauser suddenly whipped a hard pass toward the net where a soaring DeGroat had just appeared from the right side of the baseline.

A minute later, Krauser hit a 3-pointer to put the Panthers up by 33, their largest lead to that point.

And then he got fancy again.

With 14:20 to play, Ramon brought the ball quickly down the court in transition with Krauser, Levon Kendall and Keith Benjamin keeping pace. Krauser only needed one fleeting glimpse around him to figure out what he was going to do.

“I saw Levon coming and I knew if Ron would give me the ball, I could make a good pass for Levon or hit Keith Benjamin running down the left wing.”

He chose Kendall. Ramon kicked it to Krauser at the top of the key, and Krauser went hard down the right side of the lane for what had to be one of his trademark wrap-up-the-ball lay-ins. Kendall’s defender bit on the drive, and Krauser, seeing his opening, deftly slipped the ball behind his back to the now wide-open Kendall, who was trailing just a step behind in the middle of the lane. Kendall finished with a soft lay-in.

Krauser’s performance against the Nittany Lions nearly mirrors what he did to them a season ago. After torching Penn State for 28 points last year, he dropped 20 points last night on 8-of-10 from the floor, 4-for-5 from 3-point range. Yet his performance on Saturday could have been even more impressive.

Just like in the game against Duquesne last week, it seemed as if Krauser could go for twice as many points as he actually did. He admitted that he had to check himself.

“I really did [scale back],” he said afterward. “I felt a surge of energy that I haven’t felt since freshman year.”

Krauser finished with six assists to lead the team. Penn State head coach Ed DeChellis wasn’t surprised by the senior’s performance, saying that Krauser’s demeanor is one of his strongest points.

“What’s impressive about him is he never forces much,” DeChellis said. “He’s not excited in terms of trying to score.”

“He lets the game come to him.”

Krauser didn’t wait until the second half to get going. He came out of the gates the same way he has all season – dead on target. He hit six of his first seven shots, and ended the first half 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, leaving head coach Jamie Dixon once again struggling for adjectives that would do Krauser justice.

“He’s been a great representative of the University,” Dixon said. “All he wants to do is win.”

Krauser won’t deny it. He says that his work ethic defines him, and points out that there is always something else he can do to make sure his team comes out on top.

“I think I could play harder every game,” he said. “I’m just trying to be a better player, a better person and a better teammate.”

So far, so good.