March 12, 2015
CHICAGO - Nittany Lion seniors D.J. Newbill and Ross Travis were not going to be denied another chance to put on the Penn State uniform at the Big Ten Tournament.
The tandem combined for 20 tallies during Penn State's 48-point second-half onslaught in a 67-58 victory over fifth-seeded Iowa (21-11, 12-6 Big Ten) on Thursday afternoon in the second round of the tournament. Winners of three-straight, the Nittany Lions (18-15, 4-14 Big Ten) move into the Big Ten quarterfinals for a showdown with fourth-seeded Purdue (20-11, 12-6) on Friday at 2:30 p.m. (ESPN).
"Wow, what a rock fight out there, just two teams playing incredibly hard, intense, giving it up for their teammates and coaches," head coach Patrick Chambers said. "We're fortunate to come out as winners. I'm really proud of my team...The team really contributed in every way. I'm really proud of them, and we're happy to stay in Chicago another day."
It was a tale of two halves on Thursday, with the Nittany Lions scoring 19 points on just 25 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes. Iowa led by eight (27-19) at the break, but the Blue and White stormed out of the locker room, using a 15-2 run mid-way through the second half that altered the complexion of the game.
Penn State took a 36-34 lead (11:01 to play) at the culmination of the rally. Iowa tied the game on the next two possessions, but the Hawkeyes did not lead in the final 11 minutes of play. Newbill, who finished with 18 points, scored seven-straight during one span to give the Lions a 49-42 lead with 7:02 to play.
The Philly native and Travis, who scored 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting, made play after play when the Lions needed it on both ends of the floor.
"They really stepped up at a critical point in the game to give us a little cushion, D.J.'s little run, and Ross did it throughout the entire game," Chambers said. "He played really hard, battling those guys inside. They're huge, and he was fearless in there."
Fearless doesn't begin to describe Travis on the play of the game. Holding a 58-56 lead with the shot clock winding down, Travis caught the ball in the corner and drove along the baseline to his right before fending off contact for a reverse lay-in and an old-fashioned three-point play with 30.4 seconds to go.
"You know, I just saw the shot clock winding down and the ball was in my hands, so I just had to baseline it to make the play," Travis said. "It went in, I made the free throw, and it was a big moment in the game."
Newbill raced home for a slam on the next Penn State possession to put icing on the victory and a date with Purdue on Friday afternoon.
"Being in those late game situations, four minute games, two minute games, coming down to one possession, one stop, one rebound, I think we learn from that because we've lost so many," Newbill said. "But yeah, I think we're a different team then than we are now. We're looking forward to a dogfight. Purdue plays hard and we play hard, so it's going to be a great one."
No one is more deserving of the opportunity to keep playing than Newbill. A guy who has poured his heart and soul into the Penn State program since the day he arrived, Newbill is cherishing every last second.
"I'm a senior at the end of my college career, so putting the jersey on (again) means everything to me," Newbill said.
Riding the wave of momentum, the Nittany Lions are a dangerous team no one wants to see on the Big Ten Tournament bracket.
"Nothing is going to change, same approach, great confidence, why not us?" Chambers said.