Jan. 17--Northwestern center Alex Olah appeared ready to end a six-game hiatus as the Wildcats hosted Penn State on Saturday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Olah, sidelined since Christmas with a left foot injury, joined his teammates in pre-game shooting and his participation against the Nittany Lions was said to be a game-time decision.
The return of the 7-foot senior and his 12.8 point, 6.5 rebound per game averages should bolster a Wildcat team that's gone 4-2 in his absence but was forced to end redshirt status of 6-foot, 8-inch freshman center Dererk Pardon, who has since played in six straight games.
Northwestern is 15-3 overall (3-2 Big Ten) and coming off a 70-65 home victory over Wisconsin and a 28-point performance by sophomore guard Bryant McIntosh.
Penn State (10-8, 1-4) had dropped two straight and four of its last five, including a 60-39 decision at Purdue last Wednesday.
Northwestern hits the road for two games next week starting Tuesday at No. 3 Maryland and ending the week at Indiana next Saturday.
The No. 3 Terrapins beat the Wildcats 72-59 on Jan. 2. The game with the Hoosiers is the lone scheduled meeting this season.
