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Penn State pulls off another upset in win over No. 4 Iowa

02/18/2016, 8:45am EST
By Marley Paul

Donovon Jack scored 19 points as Penn State pulled off another home upset. (Photo: Maddy Pryor/CoBL)

Marley Paul (@MarleyPaul22)
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UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State has been “almost there” for quite some time, this season maybe the closest. Since conceding its lead in the closing minutes at then-No. 4 Maryland in the Big Ten opener, coach Pat Chambers has beaten the message of giving a 40-minute effort every night into his players brain.

On several occasions, that message has escaped them: ugly road losses to Michigan, Nebraska and Iowa early. Other times, it appeared that message was on the front of the minds of the Nittany Lions, aiding in positive outings versus Wisconsin and Michigan, plus a victory over No. 22 Indiana. 

All those stepping stones through Big Ten play culminated in the biggest win of the season — and possibly under Chambers’ five-year tenure — on Wednesday. Led by the hardworking senior duo of Brandon Taylor and Donovon Jack, Penn State upset No. 4 Iowa 79-75 in Happy Valley for the second win against a ranked opponent in as many home games. 

The victory marks the first versus a top-five team since February 2013, an 84-78 decision over fourth-ranked Michigan. Penn State (13-13, 4-9 Big Ten) moves to 5-43 all-time against top five opponents. Iowa (20-6, 10-3) now falls to second place in the Big Ten, trailing Indiana. 

After topping No. 22 Indiana 68-63 last Saturday, the Nittany Lions laid an egg in their next contest with a futile second-half performance on the road that allowed Nebraska to blow them off the court. Upon arriving back to practice this week, Taylor and Jack dug into their teammates to encourage that 40-minute effort to return and remain consistent. 

“I’m really proud of my team, especially the seniors,” Chambers said to open his postgame conference. “I don’t want to diminish anything Nebraska did. They played great in the second half but that’s not Penn State basketball and those seniors knew it.

“Brandon Taylor’s leadership over the last three days was just incredible. He would not be denied in his last three days and tonight. I was really proud of Donovon Jack of stepping up and making big plays at critical times.”

Jack led the team with a career-high 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting, despite totaling just 12 points in the past six games combined. Taylor paced the Nittany Lions with 18 points and one rebound shy of his sixth double-double of the season. 

As the halftime buzzer sounded, Shep Garner didn’t stop running. Making his way past his coaches, onto the opposite side of the court and into the locker room, he kept his stride after capping a 14-point half with a dish to Jack for an open dunk after slicing into the paint and through the Hawkeyes defense.

“It means a lot,” Jack said of his career outing, “but I couldn’t have done it without my teammates. I fed off BT (Brandon Taylor), Shep (Garner) passed me the ball, it was all I could hope for.”

Garner, a Chester native, had shaken off a shooting slump, which saw him shoot 28 percent in his last three games -- 0-of-16 from 3-point distance --  with four threes in the first half to help overcome an early eight-point deficit and take a 38-31 lead into the half. He finished the game with 18 points on 6 of 10, plus three assists in a game-high 37 minutes.

“I’m really proud of Shep Garner because he didn’t go hide or sulk. He came in the gym and just worked,” Chambers added. “At the end of all this, he is going to become a great player. He really managed the game well and played at a high level. It was great to see him break-through today against one of the top 5 opponents.”

Since an Isaiah Washington 3-pointer gave Penn State a 26-25 lead with 6:03 left in the first half, the Nittany Lions held on to that advantage, which didn’t exceed nine, for the duration of the game despite late comeback bids from Iowa.

Washington didn’t score again from the field, but the redshirt freshman would ice six free throws, plus a to a drive and dump off to Jack in the final five minutes to clinch the upset. Washington tallied 26 minutes, replacing Devin Foster, who missed the game for personal reasons.

It’s been an uphill battle for Chambers and this senior class over the past few seasons, often falling short on the scoreboard in big games. But one thing never changed, they made the best of every minute of it, together, knowing games like Wednesday were capable of coming into fruition on any given matchup. 

“Basketball is a game. We have fun every night, even if we lose, that’s just what we do,” Taylor said. “We worked for games like this. We have a lot of respect for that team, but we like to play with confidence and like to think we can beat a team like that and have fun, because if you’re not having fun then you’re not going to win.”


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