IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa men’s basketball stormed past Penn State, 68-51, on Saturday afternoon in front of a sold-out crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
A stifling defensive effort was the difference on Mediacom Court as Iowa forced 17 turnovers, including nine steals, five blocks, and several clock violations to hold its opponent below 60 points for the second consecutive game and fifth time this season.
Sophomore Keegan Murray was the game’s leading scorer with 15 points. Murray would also haul in eight rebounds, three blocks, two assists, and one steal. Sophomore Kris Murray was close behind with 13 points, as the Murray brothers accounted for 41 percent of Iowa’s scoring production on the day.
Sixth-year senior Jordan Bohannon led the Hawkeyes with a +24 plus-minus, tallying 11 points on 3-of-7 shooting from behind the arc and knocking down a pair of free throws.
Redshirt sophomore Patrick McCaffery also posted 11 points, including eight in the first half. McCaffery finished the game with four rebounds, two blocks, and two steals.
Iowa shot 41 percent (22-of-54) from the field, besting Penn State’s 33 percent (17-of-51) field goal percentage. The Hawkeyes drained 10 treys, shooting 31 percent (10-of-32) from 3-point range.
QUOTING COACH MCCAFFERY
“I thought we had more focus, more activity, on the glass. It’s fun when you get some offensive rebounds. I thought that was really good. Connor [McCaffery], Tony [Perkins], Kris [Murray]. We missed 13 shots in the first half, and they came back. Our defense was pretty good, but we just got destroyed on the glass, so that had to change…
I didn’t make anything happen, they did [on defensive improvement]. Really impressive effort and communication. This is a really hard team to defend. They run really good stuff, and they have multiple guys that can go one-on-one. They have multiple guys who can make a three… So you are helping [off screens], you have got to recover, contest, and then rebound, because they’re comfortable on the glass. Anything short of that kind of effort and they will beat you. They are going to shoot a higher number and you are going to have problems. So it was a really good win for our team today.”
NOTABLES
- Iowa has won seven of its last nine games, dating back to Dec. 18, 2021.
- The Hawkeyes have won five straight inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena, dating back to Dec. 21, 2021. Iowa improved to 11-1 at home this season.
- Three Hawkeyes made three 3-pointers today: Patrick McCaffery, Jordan Bohannon, and Kris Murray. McCaffery and Murray each tied career highs.
- Iowa has won 15 of the last 16 games against Penn State in Iowa City, dating back to 2002.
- The Hawkeyes and Nittany Lions will play again in nine days on Monday, Jan. 31, in University Park, Pennsylvania.
- Iowa improved to 88-3 when holding opponents to 61 points or fewer in the Fran McCaffery era (since 2011).
UP NEXT
Iowa (14-5, 4-4) remains home next Thursday against nationally-ranked Purdue. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. Tickets are available for purchase at hawkeyesports.com/tickets.