March 7, 2009
Iowa, City, Iowa, March 7, 2009 - Less than 40 hours after knocking off No. 23 Illinois in the Bryce Jordan Center, a double-overtime thriller in Iowa City was probably not the best prescription for Penn State's legs, but the Nittany Lions showed the heart of team ready to make a tournament run before falling, 75-67, to Iowa on the Hawkeye's "Senior Night."
The loss drops Penn State to 21-10 and 10-8 in the Big Ten as they wait to see their seed in the Big Ten Tournament. Iowa improved to 15-16, 5-13 in the Big Ten.
Big Ten Player of the Year candidate Talor Battle was heroic in leading the Nittany Lions from nine down, 51-42, with 2:23 to play. Battle scored 12 straight points over two minutes and ended the game with his second double-double of the season with 26 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. He had 23 points and five boards in the second half and overtimes before fouling out with 16 seconds remaining. For Battle it was his third double-double of the season and Big Ten leading 13th 20-point game. He increased his season scoring total to 535 points, good for fifth all-time at Penn State.
Andrew Jones (eight points and five boards) came up with a huge steal and fed Stanley Pringle (15 points, six assists) for an and-one lay-up that put Penn State up 56-54 and completed a 14-3 Lion run in the final 2:23. But, Jarryd Cole (14 points) got in deep for a lay-up and tied the game at 56. Battle had a long three look for the winner that was off.
Jake Kelly, who led Iowa with 22 points on four threes, hit a big banked three from the top of the key in the overtime to give the Hawkeyes a 62-61 lead after a Danny Morrissey three had given the Lions a two-point lead. Matt Gatens extended the margin to 64-61 with two free throws with 1:28 to play. But, weary legs and all, Penn State refused to give in and Jamelle Cornley, who started the game and played a season-high 46 minutes despite partially dislocating his shoulder in the win over Illinois and spending Friday with the arm in a sling, hit a big three with 35 seconds to play to tie the game. When Kelly missed a last second three, a second overtime was on tap.
Penn State took the early lead on a Battle baseline, fade-away three, but Devan Bawinkel answered with one of his three, threes on the day. Penn State could not convert for the final 3:57 of 50 minutes of action as threes rattled out and their tanks ran empty. Another Kelly banked three with the shot clock on two was the dagger as Iowa went up 71-67 and finished on an 8-0 run to claim the victory.
Iowa utilized its size and Penn State's switching man-to-man defense to get easy points in the paint in the second half. Senior Cyrus Tate scored 11 second half points, most on lay-ups, as he finished with 15 points and 10 boards for the game. Tate helped Iowa win the rebounding battle 43-32 as the fresher Hawkeyes beat the Lions to loose balls.
After Penn State took a 35-32 lead on a Pringle three, Iowa used a 19-7 run to take a 51-42 lead on a Gatens lay-up with 2:41 to play.
After trailing by as many as nine points in the first half, Penn State closed on a 12-3 run to go to the locker room tied at 24-24 after David Jackson's 90-foot heave nearly went in at the buzzer.
Penn State looked sluggish to start and had difficulty defending Iowa's motion as the Hawkeyes knocked down four threes in the half. Penn State hit just 4-of-12 from the floor to start the game and found itself down 14-9 at the 10:32 media timeout.
Iowa took a 17-9 lead on a Devan Bawinkle three, but a Battle drive and three-point play closed the margin to 17-12. Iowa scored the next five points and led 21-12 after a Jarryd Cole lay-up. Penn State appeared to be teetering when freshman Cammeron Woodyard buried a big three from the baseline. Cornley followed with a three of his own, and Penn State was down 21-18 with 3:58 to play.
Iowa made just one field goal in the final 5:41 of the half, but that was a Gatens three and gave the Hawkeyes a 24-18 lead. Penn State scored the last six points of the half as Battle scored in the lane, Pringle buried a 17-foot jumper and Cornley scored.
Cornley led the Lions with seven points in the half while Pringle and Battle both had five. After a slow start, the Lions held Iowa to 35 percent shooting in the half and did not allow the Hawkeyes to get to the foul line. Gatens led the Hawkeyes with two threes.
Penn State next looks forward to the 12th Big Ten Tournament at Conseco, Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. March 12-15. The Lions are 5-11 all-time in the tournament, losing a nail-biter in the first round to Illinois last year, 64-63. Penn State has twice reached the tournament semi-finals, doing so in 2000 and 20001.