Quick Report: Penn State 79, No. 4 Iowa 75

Marley Paul (@MarleyPaul22)
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Penn State upended the first-place Big Ten team for the second time in as many home games. The Nittany Lions (13-13, 4-9 Big Ten) overcame an early deficit to defeat No. 4 Iowa 79-75 on Wednesday in Happy Valley after beating then-No. 22 Indiana last Saturday. It’s their first win against a top five team since upsetting fourth-ranked Michigan in February 2013.

At first…
Penn State weathered another slow start — misfiring on its opening five shots through the first four minutes — and hung tough with one of the top teams in the nation. Facing a 8-0 hole, the Nittany Lions quickly regrouped, and back-to-back 3-pointers from Shep Garner cut the deficit to 12-10 with 13:16 remaining in the half.
Following Garner’s bucket, a traveling violation then an easy uncontested layup put Iowa back up four, but Nittany Lions wouldn’t fold, as often has been the case this season. Garner added five more points and brought Penn State within 22-18.

Brandon Taylor’s first bucket cut the deficit to two with 6:13 left in the half and he found shots for others as Penn State would take a 38-31 lead into the half.
Penn State shot 55 percent from the field (7 of 14 from 3), while holding Iowa to 39 percent in the first half.

Turning point...
These two teams battled all game, neither leading by more than eight all game. But after taking control midway through the first half, Penn State wouldn’t relinquish its advantage of the Hawkeyes. Iowa cut it to 59-57 with 4:38 to play, but four straight free throw makes — a rarity for the Nittany Lions — plus a layup from Donovon Jack, who finished with a career-high 19 points, put Penn State up six and comfortable ahead for the remainder of the game.

Shining star...
Shep Garner, the team’s second-leading scorer, had a tough time finding the bottom of the net in the past three contests. In that stretch, which includes two blowout road losses, the long-range marksman went 0-of-16 from 3-point. He didn’t take longon Wednesday to make up for his shortcomings, scoring a game-high 14 points at halftime, including four 3-pointers.

Garner finished with 18 points and three assists but others lent a helping hand, with Jack having a career-night, Isaiah Washington (nine points and five rebounds) hitting crucial late free throws, and Taylor (18 points and nine rebounds) pacing the team on both ends of the court, instilling life into the Happy Valley crowd.

Noteworthy number...
Although the Nittany Lions shot well from the perimeter, they were certainly on the tough end of some whistles. With 10 minutes remaining in the game, Penn State had shot only three free throws, meanwhile, the Hawkeyes had 17 attempts from the charity stripe. A slightly more aggressive approach would certainly ease the pressure on both ends of the court.

Up next:
Penn State @ Rutgers 1 p.m. Feb. 20
Iowa vs. Wisconsin 8 p.m. Feb. 24