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Penn State travels to Iowa looking to break a three-game losing streak.
Penn State was dominated by a score of 36-19 in the first half of its game against Iowa on Saturday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.
The Nittany Lions turned the ball over 11 times and shot just 26.7 percent from the field, including 2-13 from beyond the 3-point line. The Hawkeyes, meanwhile, were efficient on both ends, shooting 42.9 percent from the field including 2-5 from the perimeter while giving Penn State few good looks from the field.
Tim Frazier led the way for Penn State's offense with eight points and four rebounds. His was also sloppy with the ball, however, turning it over four times and contributing to Iowa's defensive success. Nick Colella had five points off the bench in the half for Penn State. Cammeron Woodyard's four points and Jonathan Graham's two points made up the rest of the offense for the Lions.
Aaron White had 10 points on 3-6 shooting to lead Iowa. Bryce Carwright chipped in nine points and four rebounds.
For more on this game, be sure to stay tuned to SB Nation Pittsburgh.
Penn State and Iowa will clash for the first of two games in 12 days on Saturday when they tipoff a 3:00 PM matchup at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
The Hawkeyes (12-11, 4-6) will be trying to stay postseason-eligible by putting more distance between themselves and the .500 mark. The slipped past Minnesota 63-59 on Wednesday, but lost their previous three games before that victory.
The Nittany Lions (10-13, 2-8) are in the midst of their third three-game losing streak of the season following a 52-46 loss against Wisconsin this past Tuesday. Their offense hasn't scored more than 54 points in four games without Billy Oliver, suffering from concussion-like symptoms, so it will be interesting to see how they respond on the road, a place they haven't won in Big Ten play all season.
Here are some things to watch for in the game.
When Penn State has the ball...
-Penn State will need a third scorer to emerge to have a chance. On the losing streak, Tim Frazier has scored double-figures three times and Jermaine Marshall has reached that plateau twice. Beyond them, Cammeron Woodyard and Nick Colella have done it once each. More consistency from the third option is key.
-The Lions out-rebounded their opponents on the offensive glass in all three of the games on the losing streak. Part of that is a byproduct of horrific shooting from the field, but it still shows great hustle to generate the second chances Penn State has of late. If Penn State repeats that effort, it should be able to stay in the game.
When Iowa has the ball...
-The Hawkeyes have five players averaging at least 8.1 points per game, and average 74.0 points as a team, so they're another balanced Big Ten group. Penn State stayed in the game with Wisconsin by playing solid team defense, so it's reasonable to expect a similar effort in this one.
-Indiana put up 103 points against Iowa last weekend by forcing 17 turnovers and converting on them. Clearly, this is a team vulnerable to defensive pressure, so the Lions would be wise to force the issues on defense to generate some extra opportunities.
Overall
After a brutal three-game stretch against ranked opponents, Penn State gets to play a team much closer to its level. That's not to say a win will be easy or even likely, especially not on the road, but the Lions won't be swimming against quite as strong a current. Expect defense to keep the score reasonably close throughout. If Penn State is going to win, though, it's going to need some offense, and until we see them eclipse 54 points without Oliver, it's hard to pick them to win any game. Pick: Iowa 60-53.
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Penn State Vs. Iowa: Nittany Lions Fall 77-64 Despite Solid Second Half
Despite a strong second half, Penn State was unable to overcome a 36-19 halftime deficit as it fell 77-64 against Iowa on Saturday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.
The Nittany Lions (10-14, 2-9) outscored the Hawkeyes (13-11, 5-6) 45-41 in the second half and got over the 54-point mark for the first time since Jan. 15 (a span of four games) and finished the game shooting 40.3 percent from the field after shooting under 30 percent in the first half. A slow start that saw them fall behind by as many as 26 and 16 turnovers, however, were simply too much to recover from.
Penn State's Tim Frazier scored a game-high 23 points with five assists and five rebounds, but also had seven of the turnovers. Jermaine Marshall (13 points), Cammeron Woodyard (11 points) and Nick Colella (10 points) joined him in double figures.
Iowa put forth a big effort offensively that saw 45.8 percent shooting from the field and three scorers, Matt Gatens, Bryce Cartwright and Aaron White finish with at least 17 points. Gatens led the way with 18 points on 3-of-8 shooting from the field and 10-of-11 shooting from the free throw line.
For more on Penn State basketball, check back in with SB Nation Pittsburgh.
Feb 04 5:11p by Adam Bittner