Men’s Basketball: Penn State 71, Iowa 69

Let’s celebrate!

Penn State’s season of futility had a moment of happiness on Saturday as the Nittany Lions upset 20-win and probable NCAA tourney team Iowa at the Bryce Jordan Center.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Lions and gives them a chance at staying out of the Big Ten basement as conference play is nearing its close.

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The game was back-and-forth for much of the afternoon with Penn State leading by four points with under eight minutes to go. The Lions, who shot better than 60 percent for the day, suddenly lost their rhythm as Iowa rallied to take the lead.

But Josh Reed, more on him later, had Penn State’s lone field goal of the last eight minutes to put the Lions up 69-67. Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz answered with a basket to tie the game in the closing seconds.

After an Iowa timeout, Penn State tried to use Reed on a ghost screen to open him up for a game-winning shot attempt. However, the Hawkeyes blew the play up and Freddie Dilione drove to the basket, drawing a foul and giving him two free throws that wound up being his only two points of the second half. He finished with 15.

Iowa had less than two seconds to try to win, but couldn’t get a shot up as the clock expired.

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Player of the Game: Josh Reed. He scored 18 of his career-high 25 points in the second half. He added three rebounds and four assists.

Random Observations

Mingo Injured – Mingo had nine points in 28 minutes of play, but missed the final few minutes after colliding with Ivan Juric. There was no update at the time of this on his status.

Turnover Troubles – As noted, Penn State shot better than 60 percent from the field, but 15 turnovers allowed the Hawkeyes to have a chance at the win.

Adjusting the Defense – Iowa shot it well in the first half, making eight 3-pointers. The much maligned Lion defense did a better job in the second half closing out on shooters, allowing Iowa to make just one from beyond the arc.

Looking Ahead

Penn State has two regular…

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Publish date : 2026-02-28 19:12:00

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