Hawkeyes Down Penn State, 76-75

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa men’s basketball team defeated Penn State, 76-75, on Friday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa advances to 13-7 on the season and 4-5 in Big Ten Conference play.

Both teams got off to a hot start offensively, as after seven minutes of play, the Hawkeyes led the Nittany Lions 18-16. Every Hawkeye starter scored within the first seven minutes. The Hawkeyes expanded their lead to 41-31 with two minutes left in the half, as Iowa didn’t allow Penn State to make a field goal for over four minutes. 

At the break, the Hawkeyes led the Nittany Lions, 43-38. Sophomore Owen Freeman led the charge offensively with 11 points and 5-of-5 free throw shooting. Graduate Drew Thelwell and senior Payton Sandfort each added eight points apiece.

Iowa shot 15-of-30 from the field and 5-of-11 (45.5 percent) from beyond the arc in the first half. The Hawkeyes were a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe in the first 20 minutes. Iowa outrebounded Penn State 17-12 and forced 10 first-half turnovers, creating 10 points off those turnovers.

The Hawkeyes held firm on their lead to start the second half as they matched their largest lead of the game, 58-48, with just over 12 minutes to play in the half. Iowa would lead by 10 points once again at the seven-minute mark. 

The Hawkeyes led the Nittany Lions, 76-68 with 3:28 to play in the game. Penn State would end the game on a 7-0 run as Iowa missed its last three field goal attempts and two free throw attempts. Penn State had a chance to win the game with 2.4 seconds left but was unable to get the shot off before the buzzer. 

The Hawkeyes were led by Freeman and Thelwell with 16 points apiece. Thelwell surpassed the 1,000-career points mark and now has 1,004 career points. Freeman grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. Sophomore Josh Dix notched 11 points, while dishing out a career-high eight assists. Payton Sandfort added 10 points to go along with seven rebounds. 

The Hawkeyes shot 13-of-26 from the field in the second 20 minutes including 6-of-12 from deep. Iowa struggled from the free throw line in the second half, shooting just 1-of-7 (14.3 percent). For the game, Iowa shot 28-of-56 from the field and 11-of-23 from three-point range. The Hawkeyes held the lead for 33:57.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH FRAN MCCAFFERY 
“I thought we played really hard. We had some consistency defensively, not an easy team to guard. A lot of teams have a driver or two. Penn State’s got like six of them. They put their heads down and go. They are quick and have athletic power. We got enough stops when we needed them.”

“Ball screen coverage was better, it’s not where it needs to be. We were a little bit late on our hedge, we got dragged a little bit too much a couple times. Owen was better, Riley was good. We probably could’ve switched it a little bit more because they have a lot of drivers. Our guys are really digging in and getting in their stance.”

GAME NOTES

• The Hawkeyes snapped a three-game losing streak, downing Penn State, 76-75, on Friday night inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 
• Iowa has now won five straight over the Nittany Lions in Iowa City. 
• It was Iowa’s third win in games decided by single digits (3-4) and second win in games decided by a single possession (2-1).
• The Hawkeyes had four players finish in double figures: Owen Freeman 16, Drew Thelwell 16, Josh Dix 11, Payton Sandfort 10. 
  • Six players scored eight or more points. 
• Freeman finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. He made 5-of-9 field goals.
• Thelwell scored 16 points, had four assists and two steals.  
  • His 3-pointer at the 15:05 mark of the second half pushed him over the 1,000 point mark for his collegiate career.  He has scored 1,004 points as a collegiate. 
• Iowa made 11 3-point field goals in the game.
  • The Hawkeyes have made 10+ 3s in 11 contests.
  • Iowa is 8-2 when making 10+ 3s this season.
  • Four different players made at least two 3s in the game.
• The Hawkeyes are now 11-2 at home this season. 
• It is Iowa’s sixth Quad 2 victory of the season.

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes return to action Monday, traveling to Columbus to face Ohio State at Value City Arena at 7 p.m. (CT).  The game will be televised on FS1.