Penn State men’s basketball soars over Iowa 89-79 to claim third straight Big Ten win

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. –– Penn State men’s basketball claimed its third straight Big Ten victory with an 89-79 win over Iowa inside the Bryce Jordan Center.

Penn State secured the win behind 18 second-half points from guard Ace Baldwin Jr. who proved to be the hero once again.

“I’m just really proud of our guys,” head coach Mike Rhoades said. “They were resilient late in the game. I just thought so many guys contributed in a positive way.”

The Nittany Lions got out of the gates quickly and claimed the lead early in the first half behind an 11-0 run and a barrage of three-pointers.

Sophomore guard Jameel Brown was feeling it early for Penn State as he knocked down three of the Nittany Lions’ six three-pointers in the first half.

“He’s about the team. He’s about the right stuff,” Rhoades said. “He’s figuring it out and it’s been huge for us.”

The first half of action was sloppy for both sides as the two teams combined for 19 turnovers and Penn State carried an eight-point lead into the locker room.

Both teams came out of the locker room with something to prove with both sides sitting at 5-6 in Big Ten conference play.

The pace quickened and the shots started to fall for Iowa as they grabbed the lead and grew it to seven points while shooting over 70% from the field to start the half.

The game was far from over as there were seven ties and six lead changes, most of which came in the second half.

With Penn State searching for answers to Iowa’s strong zone defense, Baldwin Jr. decided it was time for him to steal the show.

As the game approached seven minutes to go, Baldwin Jr. went into kill mode and made two big three-pointers.

He then continued to pour it on, going on a solo 8-0 run including an impressive and-one play and a tough three-pointer with the defense smothering him.

The Bryce Jordan Center erupted as the VCU transfer lit it up from all areas of the court and put the game to rest.

“He’s not afraid,” Rhoades said. “He’s going to do whatever it takes to win because winning to him is the most important thing.”

Baldwin Jr. finished with 22 points, six assists and four steals in 36 minutes of action and once again came up clutch for the Nittany Lions down the stretch.

“I just want to thank my teammates and coach for giving me that confidence and putting the ball in my hands,” Baldwin Jr. said.

Penn State nailed 12 three-pointers in the game while forcing 18 turnovers and converting those opportunities into 14 points.

They also assisted on 18 of their 26 made field goal attempts and converted on 25 of their 31 free throw attempts in the contest.

For Penn State, it was by all means not their best performance despite putting up 89 points offensively, but they improved to 12-11 on the year and 5-6 in conference play.

“You win a couple in a row it gives you confidence that you can play with anybody,” Rhoades said. “You got to hold yourself to that standard and you got to do it every night.”

Penn State heads on the road to Evanston, Illinois this Sunday for a clash with another tough Big Ten opponent in Northwestern.

Thomas English is a third-year broadcast journalism major. To contact him, email tfe5082@psu.edu.