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Feb. 26, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - After a week off, the Penn State men's basketball team returns to action at 6 p.m. Saturday vs. Iowa in the Bryce Jordan Center and on ESPNU. It is the lone meeting for the Nittany Lions (15-13, 3-2 B1G) with the Hawkeyes (18-10, 9-6 B1G) this season, as the teams last faced each other Feb. 15, 2014, also in University Park.
COACHES VS. CANCER DAY
The Iowa game marks Penn State's Coaches vs. Cancer Day with $4 from every ticket sold benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer, as well as proceeds from t-shirts and "Who I Fight For: ___" cards sold at the door.
The annual CvC Day brings together cancer survivors and cancer fighting groups from across campus and the community. They will join together for halftime recognition and a group photo Saturday.
Penn State's chapter of Coaches vs. Cancer has raised over $2 million since its inception in 1995 and consistently ranks among the Top 10 in CvC organizations across the country. Started by then head coach Bruce Parkhill, the organization raises funds for the American Cancer Society, as well as the Bestwick Foundation and Bob Perks Fund, local organizations that provide direct support for community members and families fighting cancer.
PROMO PLANS
Giveaway: Vouchers for a Penn State basketball Nerf hoop sets will be given out with pickup available at a later date. Shipping issues have delayed the arrival of the giveaway.
Postgame Autographs: Members of the Penn State men's basketball team will be available for autographs on the concourse level of the Bryce Jordan Center following the game Saturday.
Coaches vs. Cancer Day: Purchase your "Who do you FIGHT For?" shirt and card with proceeds benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer! [More info above]
Subway Full Court Four Pack: Purchase four tickets, four subs and four drinks for just $40!
QUICK HITS
MR. NEWBILL | D.J. Newbill has led the Big Ten in scoring since the season tipped off, averaging 20.5 ppg to lead all NCAA players from power 5 conferences. He is fourth in Penn State career scoring, after three seasons, and is poised to become third player all-time to produce back-to-back 600-plus point campaigns. He is just the PSU second player with three-consecutive 500-plus point seasons. [MORE: 17-18]
SCORING DEFENSE | In 11 of 15 Big Ten games, Penn State has held its opponent below their season scoring average, including nine of the last 10. Penn State limited Wisconsin to 18.4 points below its season average and held the Badgers to their second-lowest scoring output of season.
IOWA | The Hawkeyes are coming off a Wednesday night win over Illinois, 68-60. They are 18-10 on the season and 9-6 in the Big Ten, tied for fourth in league standings.
SO CLOSE | Ten of Penn State's Big Ten games have been decided by single digits, tied for the second-most among Big Ten schools, most recently with an eight-point loss to No. 5 Wisconsin Feb. 18. The nine single-digit losses in conference play have been separated by an average of 6.0 points.
ALL CLASS | D.J. Newbill was named one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award, an accolade presented annually to the senior student-athlete with high accomplishments in all four areas of classroom, community, character and competition. VOTE: bit.ly/Vote4Newbill
THE MATCHUP
SCOUTING IOWA
- The Hawkeyes are coming off a Wednesday night win over Illinois, 68-60. They are 18-10 on the season and 9-6 in the Big Ten, tied for fourth in league standings.
- Against the Illini, Aaron White had 29 points. He scored 14-consecutive points for the Hawkeyes in the second half and was 5-of-6 from the field (2-of-2 from 3-range) and 8-of-9 from the line in the second period.
- Iowa has won each of its last three games and five of the last seven. The Hawkeyes are 5-3 in road games on year with four of those wins coming in league play (4-3).
- Iowa has the fifth-ranked scoring offense in the league and Top 4 spots in overall and 3-point shooting percentages.
- White is leading the team in scoring and rebounding with 15.2 ppg and 7.2 rpg, respectively. He recently moved into No. 4 all-time in Iowa career scoring.
- Jarrod Uthoff is second with 12.0 ppg, an average which goes up to 13.2 pgg in Big Ten play. Along with Peter Jok, Uthoff is shooting 40 percent from behind the arc and has a team-high 26 triples.
SERIES HISTORY
- Iowa holds a 26-13 advantage in the series vs. Penn State and has won six of the last eight meetings, with the two Nittany Lion wins coming at the Bryce Jordan Center.
- The Hawkeyes took the lone meeting last season, an 82-70 decision Feb. 15 in the BJC.
- The Nittany Lions a 10-8 advantage in games played at home, including wins in five of the last seven games at the BJC. Six of the last eight home games have been decided by five or fewer points.
LAST TIME VS. THE HAWKEYES
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (Feb. 15, 2014) - Melsahn Basabe scored 16 points and No. 16 Iowa pulled away from Penn State 82-70 in the Bryce Jordan Center. Roy Devyn Marble added 15, Aaron White 14 and Mike Gesell 13 as the Hawkeyes (19-6, 8-4) won their fourth Big Ten road game of the season. Iowa's three-game road winning streak in the Big Ten is its longest since 1998.
Penn State (13-13, 4-9) was led by D.J. Newbill, who scored 22 points, but Tim Frazier was held to 11. The game was tied four times in the second half before Iowa stretched it out with a 14-4 run.
14-15 NITTANY LIONS vs. THE HAWKEYES
D.J. Newbill is the leading scorer in the series with Iowa, producing 22.7 ppg through three meetings. He's posted at least 20 points in every outing, including the second-highest all-time scoring output of 26 points in February 2013. Newbill also is the leading rebounder in the series with 6.7 per game
| PLAYER | GP-GS | PPG | RPG | MISC | POINTS HIGH |
| D.J. Newbill | 3-3 | 22.7 | 6.7 | 2.7 apg | 26, vs. Iowa 2/14/13 |
| John Johnson | 1-0 | 11.0 | 3.0 | 50%FG | 11, vs. Iowa 2/15/14 |
| Donovon Jack | 2-1 | 5.0 | 3.0 | 2 blocks | 8, vs. Iowa 2/15/14 |
| Ross Travis | 5-2 | 3.4 | 5.0 | 21.6 mins | 10, vs. Iowa 2/15/14 |
| Kevin Montminy | 3-0 | 2.7 | 6.7 | 75%FG | 5, vs. iowa 2/14/13 |
| Jordan Dickerson | 1-0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 9 mins | 2, vs. iowa 1/15/14 |
| Geno Thorpe | 1-0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 asst | 1, vs. Iowa 2/15/14 |
| Alan Wisniewski | 1-0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 block | 1, vs. Iowa 2/14/13 |
THREE NOTABALE GAMES
Feb. 16, 2012 (PSU, 69-64): Having reduced a 16-point Penn State lead to three with 24 seconds to play, Iowa intentionally put redshirt freshman Jon Graham on the foul line. He hit both to effectively ice a 69-64 victory for the Nittany Lions.
Jan. 26, 2011 (PSU, 65-51): One of the two home games in the last eight not separated by five or fewer points was decided by Talor Battle's 23-point outing that gave Penn State its third-consecutive Big Ten home win.
March 27, 1995 (PSU, 67-64): Pete Lisicky nailed a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left to send the Nittany Lions to the semifinals of the NIT.
BEFORE & AFTER
LAST TIME OUT
EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) - The Nittany Lions fell to Northwestern 60-39 on Saturday afternoon, in a game where they struggled from the field. Geno Thorpe scored 13 points for Penn State, which scored a season-low point total and shot a season-low 27 percent.
PSU's D.J. Newbill, the Big Ten's leading scorer at 21.1 points per game, finished with three points on 1-for-6 shooting and nine rebounds. He scored his first points on a 3 with 1:25 remaining to cut the lead to 56-39.
Vic Law scored 17 points, Tre Demps added 16 for Northwestern. Alex Olah added 10 points for the Wildcats (13-14, 4-10 Big Ten), who have won three straight after snapping a 10-game losing streak. [RECAP]
UP NEXT
Penn State will close out its home slate of games with Ohio State at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Bryce Jordan Center. It will be senior night as four of the program's seniors will be honored: Kevin Montminy, D.J. Newbill, Ross Travis and Alan Wisniewski.
In addition, five senior managers will be recognized pregame: Chris Conti, Derek Null, Sam Rose, Andrew Santo and Mike Scheier.
The Nittany Lions have won their last two Senior Night games, knocking off No. 22 Ohio State last season and No. 4 Michigan in 2013.
The Buckeyes defeated Penn State 75-55 Feb. 11 in Columbus. The Nitttany Lions have won two of the last three games in the series, including both regular-season meetings a year ago. Ohio State is 19-8 on the season and 8-6 in the Big Ten with Thursday and Sunday games this week.