STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Quincy Douby scored 32 points and hit eight 3-pointers, several from NBA range, and Rutgers turned back a furious second-half rally to defeat Penn State 76-71 on Tuesday in the opening round of the National Invitation Tournament.

Rutgers' Quincy Douby (5) drives past Penn State's Jamelle Cornley (2) in the second half of their NIT basketball game Tuesday, March 14, 2006, in State College, Pa. Rutgers won 76-71. (AP Photo/Pat Little)

The Scarlet Knights (19-13) built a big lead early in the second half off the long-range shooting of Douby and Marquis Webb, who opened the second half by nailing a desperation 3 from near the scorer's table.

Douby then hit two 3s, including a 23-footer, to give Rutgers a 52-33 lead with 16:30 to play.

Penn State (15-15) rallied behind full-court pressure and sloppy ball-handling by Rutgers and Jamelle Cornley's dunk cut the lead to 65-59 with 2:20 left.

But Douby hit another 3 and sank a couple free throws to help seal the game and send Rutgers to a second-round game on Thursday at St. Joseph's. Douby was 8-of-14 from 3-point range.

The win extended Gary Waters' coaching career at Rutgers by at least one more game. Waters announced on March 1 that he was stepping down at the end of the season.

Travis Parker, playing his last game for Penn State, had 21 points and 12 rebounds, while Ben Luber added 17 points, hitting 5-of-9 from 3-point range.

The loss ended Penn State's best season since going 21-12 in 2000-01. That was the last time it played in the postseason, going to the NCAA tournament.

A vocal student section cheered as Penn State came onto the floor and the Nittany Lions didn't disappoint, staying close to Rutgers until midway through the first half.

Then Penn State started missing shots, while Rutgers couldn't miss from long range. The Scarlet Knights finished the night 12-of-28 from 3-point territory.

Down 14-13, Rutgers' Marquis Webb started a 14-0 run with a 3-pointer from the left wing to give the Scarlet Knights a lead they would not relinquish.

Penn State managed to force 19 turnovers, many off backcourt pressure as the Nittany Lions tried to get back into the game.

Webb finished with 17 points for Rutgers.