UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Take a look back at Penn State's 69-64 victory over Iowa on Thursday night inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
Welcome to the GoPSUsports.com gameday blog for the Nittany Lion basketball team.
We will bring you coverage from tonight's matchup between Penn State (11-15, 3-10) and Iowa (13-12, 5-7) inside the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions are seeking their second-straight victory after knocking off Nebraska (67-51) on Saturday. Penn State and Iowa met just 12 days ago, with the Hawkeyes using a 17-point halftime lead to score a 77-64 victory in Iowa City.
Follow along here on the in-game blog for updates throughout Saturday's contest with Iowa.
Starting Lineups
Penn State: G - Frazier, G - Colella, G - Woodyard, F - Travis, F - Graham
Iowa: G - Gatens, G - Oglesby, F - Marble, F - McCabe, F - White
First Half:
15:56 - Penn State 10, Iowa 5
The Nittany Lions picked up right where they left off on Saturday against Nebraska. Penn State is 4-for-7 from the floor early, including six tallies from the bigs in the paint. Jon Graham has four points and three rebounds early. Jermaine Marshall just found Sasa Borovnjak for an easy lay-in to put the Lions up by five. Production in the paint from the Penn State forwards is huge for the team's confidence.
11:09 - Penn State 16, Iowa 10
Iowa manufactured a 7-0 scoring run to set the score at 10-10 before Coach Chambers used a timeout. The Lions responded to the Iowa spurt with a 6-0 run of their own to make it, 16-10 after a leaner from Woodyard along the baseline. Woodyard, Frazier and Graham all have four tallies to lead the Nittany Lions. Penn State is 7-for-16 from the field.
7:32 - Penn State 25, Iowa 12
Tonight's game has been the polar opposite of the first half in Iowa City 12 days ago. The Nittany Lions are shooting 50 percent from the field in the first half, while the Hawkeyes are shooting just 24 percent. Penn State has been terrific inside the paint during the early portion of the first half. The Lions have 14 points inside, compared to just two from Iowa.
3:51 - Penn State 27, Iowa 21
After falling behind by 13, Iowa has quietly trimmed the Penn State lead down to just six at the final media timeout of the half. The Hawkeyes have scored five of their nine points on a 9-2 scoring spurt at the foul line. Frazier, who has two fouls, sat during most of the Iowa run, but the Lion junior has returned to the floor. Penn State needs a strong finish to what has largely been a good half.
0:00 - Penn State 38, Iowa 24
Iowa scored the first basket of the game, but that was the only time the Hawkeyes led in the opening half. A big 3-pointer from Woodyard at the 3:58 mark kick-started an 11-3 scoring run to close things out. Woodyard accounted for eight of the 11 points on the scoring spurt. Matt Glover tallied a free throw with 0.6 seconds left in the half to set the Lion lead at 14 heading into the locker room. Woodyard led the way in scoring with 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting. As a team, the Lions shot 44 percent from the field, while Iowa managed just 7-for-26 from the floor for 27 percent shooting. The Lions played very well in the paint, scoring 14 points to Iowa's six. The Lions also out-scored the Hawkeyes 10-1 off the bench.
Second Half:
15:46 - Penn State 45, Iowa 33
Two quick free throws from Graham in the opening 13 seconds handed the Lions their largest lead of the game at 16, but Iowa answered with five-straight points to cut the lead down to 12. That is where things stand at the first media timeout. Graham has now equaled his career-high with eight points. The redshirt freshman also has five rebounds. Iowa freshman Aaron White has a game-high 14 points to lead the Hawkeyes.
11:27 - Penn State 50, Iowa 40
Back-to-back baskets from the Hawkeyes brought Iowa within eight on the scoreboard (48-40), the closest the Hawkeyes had been since the 2:27 mark in the first half. Nonetheless, Frazier raced down floor on the ensuing possession for a pull-up floater to put the Lions back on top by 10. Penn State needs to take better care of the basketball down the stretch and find open looks.
6:48 - Penn State 56, Iowa 49
Iowa senior Matt Gatens, who is the team's leading scorer, is single-handedly keeping the Hawkeyes in the ballgame. Gatens knocked down three-straight 3-pointers to draw the Hawkeyes to within seven (56-49) with 8:32 to play. He will also go to the foul line for two shots after the media timeout looking trim the lead down to five. Penn State's offense has dried up in recent possessions against the Iowa zone defense.
2:40 - Penn State 61, Iowa 58
The Hawkeyes closed to within three (56-53) after seven unanswered points, but Frazier stepped up with a critical sequence. The Lion point guard banked home a shot on an in-bounds play. On the ensuing Iowa possession, Frazier tallied a steal and raced to the other end of the floor before drawing a foul and making two free throws to set the score at 60-53. Gatens answered with his fourth 3-pointer of the second half to make it 60-56. Sasa Borovnjak made one free throw to put the Lions up by five. Iowa's Aaron White came answered with a basket. Marshall had a chance to knock down a corner three that rimmed out. Iowa will be at the foul line for two shots after the break looking to make it a one-point game.
0:00 - Penn State 69, Iowa 64
Marshall drained a big 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:45 to play to put the Lions up 66-61. Gatens answered with a basket of his own to draw the Hawkeyes within three with 1:23 to play. Iowa had a chance to close within one, but two missed free throws with 50.3 seconds to play handed the ball back over to the Nittany Lions. From there, Graham sealed the contest with a pair of huge free throws with the clock reading 24.6 seconds to play, which put the Lions up 68-63. The Nittany Lions led for 39:13 on Thursday night en route to their second-straight victory. Frazier led four players in double figures with 18 points. Woodyard finished with 13, while Graham and Marshall added 10 apiece. The Lions shot 40 percent from the field for the game and 78 percent (22-for-28) from the foul line to knock off Iowa.
Final Thoughts:
The Nittany Lions led for all but 13 seconds in a virtual wire-to-wire victory over Iowa on Thursday night. Penn State led by as much as 16 early in the second half before the Hawkeyes mounted a charge. Iowa closed within two on two different occasions in the final 2:40, but the Lions held strong down the stretch. Graham played a superb basketball game for the Nittany Lions, finishing perfect from the field (3-3) and the foul line (4-4) with a career-high 10 points and six rebounds. Frazier made two big shots down the stretch and two foul shots to lead the Nittany Lions.
Give the Lions a great deal of credit for battling down the stretch in the tight ballgame. Iowa missed four free throws in the final three minutes that could have changed the complexion of the game in the final minute, but Penn State stepped up and made plays when it needed to. The end result was a second-straight victory for the Lions for the first time since Dec. 18 and 21 during the non-conference season. Next up for Penn State (12-15, 4-10) is a trip to the Kohl Center for a clash against Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. (BTN).
Follow GoPSUsports.com Media Specialist Tony Mancuso on Twitter @GoPSUTony
Welcome to the GoPSUsports.com gameday blog for the Nittany Lion basketball team.
We will bring you coverage from tonight's matchup between Penn State (11-15, 3-10) and Iowa (13-12, 5-7) inside the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions are seeking their second-straight victory after knocking off Nebraska (67-51) on Saturday. Penn State and Iowa met just 12 days ago, with the Hawkeyes using a 17-point halftime lead to score a 77-64 victory in Iowa City.
Follow along here on the in-game blog for updates throughout Saturday's contest with Iowa.
Starting Lineups
Penn State: G - Frazier, G - Colella, G - Woodyard, F - Travis, F - Graham
Iowa: G - Gatens, G - Oglesby, F - Marble, F - McCabe, F - White
First Half:
15:56 - Penn State 10, Iowa 5
The Nittany Lions picked up right where they left off on Saturday against Nebraska. Penn State is 4-for-7 from the floor early, including six tallies from the bigs in the paint. Jon Graham has four points and three rebounds early. Jermaine Marshall just found Sasa Borovnjak for an easy lay-in to put the Lions up by five. Production in the paint from the Penn State forwards is huge for the team's confidence.
11:09 - Penn State 16, Iowa 10
Iowa manufactured a 7-0 scoring run to set the score at 10-10 before Coach Chambers used a timeout. The Lions responded to the Iowa spurt with a 6-0 run of their own to make it, 16-10 after a leaner from Woodyard along the baseline. Woodyard, Frazier and Graham all have four tallies to lead the Nittany Lions. Penn State is 7-for-16 from the field.
7:32 - Penn State 25, Iowa 12
Tonight's game has been the polar opposite of the first half in Iowa City 12 days ago. The Nittany Lions are shooting 50 percent from the field in the first half, while the Hawkeyes are shooting just 24 percent. Penn State has been terrific inside the paint during the early portion of the first half. The Lions have 14 points inside, compared to just two from Iowa.
3:51 - Penn State 27, Iowa 21
After falling behind by 13, Iowa has quietly trimmed the Penn State lead down to just six at the final media timeout of the half. The Hawkeyes have scored five of their nine points on a 9-2 scoring spurt at the foul line. Frazier, who has two fouls, sat during most of the Iowa run, but the Lion junior has returned to the floor. Penn State needs a strong finish to what has largely been a good half.
0:00 - Penn State 38, Iowa 24
Iowa scored the first basket of the game, but that was the only time the Hawkeyes led in the opening half. A big 3-pointer from Woodyard at the 3:58 mark kick-started an 11-3 scoring run to close things out. Woodyard accounted for eight of the 11 points on the scoring spurt. Matt Glover tallied a free throw with 0.6 seconds left in the half to set the Lion lead at 14 heading into the locker room. Woodyard led the way in scoring with 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting. As a team, the Lions shot 44 percent from the field, while Iowa managed just 7-for-26 from the floor for 27 percent shooting. The Lions played very well in the paint, scoring 14 points to Iowa's six. The Lions also out-scored the Hawkeyes 10-1 off the bench.
Second Half:
15:46 - Penn State 45, Iowa 33
Two quick free throws from Graham in the opening 13 seconds handed the Lions their largest lead of the game at 16, but Iowa answered with five-straight points to cut the lead down to 12. That is where things stand at the first media timeout. Graham has now equaled his career-high with eight points. The redshirt freshman also has five rebounds. Iowa freshman Aaron White has a game-high 14 points to lead the Hawkeyes.
11:27 - Penn State 50, Iowa 40
Back-to-back baskets from the Hawkeyes brought Iowa within eight on the scoreboard (48-40), the closest the Hawkeyes had been since the 2:27 mark in the first half. Nonetheless, Frazier raced down floor on the ensuing possession for a pull-up floater to put the Lions back on top by 10. Penn State needs to take better care of the basketball down the stretch and find open looks.
6:48 - Penn State 56, Iowa 49
Iowa senior Matt Gatens, who is the team's leading scorer, is single-handedly keeping the Hawkeyes in the ballgame. Gatens knocked down three-straight 3-pointers to draw the Hawkeyes to within seven (56-49) with 8:32 to play. He will also go to the foul line for two shots after the media timeout looking trim the lead down to five. Penn State's offense has dried up in recent possessions against the Iowa zone defense.
2:40 - Penn State 61, Iowa 58
The Hawkeyes closed to within three (56-53) after seven unanswered points, but Frazier stepped up with a critical sequence. The Lion point guard banked home a shot on an in-bounds play. On the ensuing Iowa possession, Frazier tallied a steal and raced to the other end of the floor before drawing a foul and making two free throws to set the score at 60-53. Gatens answered with his fourth 3-pointer of the second half to make it 60-56. Sasa Borovnjak made one free throw to put the Lions up by five. Iowa's Aaron White came answered with a basket. Marshall had a chance to knock down a corner three that rimmed out. Iowa will be at the foul line for two shots after the break looking to make it a one-point game.
0:00 - Penn State 69, Iowa 64
Marshall drained a big 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:45 to play to put the Lions up 66-61. Gatens answered with a basket of his own to draw the Hawkeyes within three with 1:23 to play. Iowa had a chance to close within one, but two missed free throws with 50.3 seconds to play handed the ball back over to the Nittany Lions. From there, Graham sealed the contest with a pair of huge free throws with the clock reading 24.6 seconds to play, which put the Lions up 68-63. The Nittany Lions led for 39:13 on Thursday night en route to their second-straight victory. Frazier led four players in double figures with 18 points. Woodyard finished with 13, while Graham and Marshall added 10 apiece. The Lions shot 40 percent from the field for the game and 78 percent (22-for-28) from the foul line to knock off Iowa.
Final Thoughts:
The Nittany Lions led for all but 13 seconds in a virtual wire-to-wire victory over Iowa on Thursday night. Penn State led by as much as 16 early in the second half before the Hawkeyes mounted a charge. Iowa closed within two on two different occasions in the final 2:40, but the Lions held strong down the stretch. Graham played a superb basketball game for the Nittany Lions, finishing perfect from the field (3-3) and the foul line (4-4) with a career-high 10 points and six rebounds. Frazier made two big shots down the stretch and two foul shots to lead the Nittany Lions.
Give the Lions a great deal of credit for battling down the stretch in the tight ballgame. Iowa missed four free throws in the final three minutes that could have changed the complexion of the game in the final minute, but Penn State stepped up and made plays when it needed to. The end result was a second-straight victory for the Lions for the first time since Dec. 18 and 21 during the non-conference season. Next up for Penn State (12-15, 4-10) is a trip to the Kohl Center for a clash against Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. (BTN).
Follow GoPSUsports.com Media Specialist Tony Mancuso on Twitter @GoPSUTony
