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Lions still searching for Big Ten win

By Paddy Cotter

For the Mirror

UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State’s first conference win of the season was in the balance with a minute left against No. 23 Iowa on Wednesday night in the Bryce Jordan Center.

With a one-point deficit and Mike Watkins at the free throw line, every shot was critical. Watkins missed his two attempts, and then Iowa’s Jordan Bohannon nailed a deep 3-pointer to put the Lions away and eventually win, 89-82.

“We were right there to take this one,” Chambers said. “Nobody feels sorry for us. Nobody. They’re happy we’re losing. We just have to keep getting better. It’s going to flip.”

The Lions overcame so many of the problems that led to an 0-7 conference record and revealed the potential their talent allows. The offense was clicking, and the defense got big steals and rebounds, despite allowing Iowa to have shooting success.

But ultimately, the late-game miscues that have haunted the Lions led to a loss.

“It was just unfortunate,” Penn State guard Josh Reaves said. “We just have to dig down deep in situations like that.”

Freshman Rasir Bolton and Reaves, who recorded four steals, led the Lions with 16 points each.

Sparked by three 3-pointers from Myles Dread, the Lions started the game at a lightning-fast pace. Within 3 minutes after tipoff, the Lions had an 11-3 lead.

Chambers noted after a loss to No. 6 Michigan State that the freshmen duo — Dread and Bolton — were hitting a wall. The two have had a lot of pressure on them this season.

“We finally saw the shot go through the basket,” Chambers said.

By halftime, Dread and Bolton led the team with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Dread didn’t score in the second half.

Lamar Stevens, who has carried the load on offense all season, had only 2 points at that point. The junior finished the game 4-of-18 from the field.

“Any team that they play is going to focus on Lamar Stevens,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “We doubled him and tried to make him get rid of it.”

“He’s not happy with his jump shot right now,” Chambers said.

The Hawkeyes were without their leading scorer in Tyler Cook, who averages 17.1 points per game, due to a sprained ankle.

Bohannon, who recorded 19 points including the late game dagger, helped the Hawkeyes recover from the Lions’ quick start and take a 9-point lead.

With 3 minutes left in the first half, the Lions turned a 4-point deficit into a 4-four point lead with a diversified attack of 3-pointers and good interior play.

The Lions went into halftime with a 45-40 lead having made 50 percent of their shots from the field and successfully confusing anyone who had drawn conclusions based on their previous outings.

The teams traded leads throughout the second half as both offenses continued to operate at a high pace.

Mike Watkins was the most productive player after halftime, converting on all of his shot attempts and leading the team in rebounds.

The Lions held an 8-point lead midway through the final half, but Iowa slowly fought back to a 5-point lead with 5 minutes left. It was clear that the winner would be decided by which team was on a run by the time the buzzer sounded.

With a late game breakdown that is becoming a habit in Chambers’ tenure, that team was Iowa.

“It’s just difficult knowing you were that close,” Reaves said.

“It’s not one thing,” Chambers said. “It’s the 65 possessions, 70 possessions that are in a game.”

This season has turned out to be one of mediocrity. Wednesday night pushed the Lions further into irrelevance.

The Lions next matchup is on Saturday night at Minnesota.

IOWA (15-3)

Garza 9-17 4-5 22, N.Baer 1-4 1-2 3, Bohannon 6-10 2-2 19, Moss 4-6 0-0 12, Wieskamp 3-10 4-4 10, Till 1-1 0-0 2, Kriener 6-8 1-3 15, Dailey 1-4 0-0 3, McCaffery 1-4 1-2 3. Totals 32-64 13-18 89.

PENN ST. (7-11)

Watkins 5-5 1-4 11, Stevens 4-18 0-0 8, Dread 5-10 0-0 14, Reaves 6-12 0-0 16, Wheeler 1-4 2-2 5, Harrar 2-2 2-2 6, Zemgulis 1-1 0-0 3, McCloskey 1-2 0-0 3, Bolton 5-10 5-5 16. Totals 30-64 10-13 82.

Halftime–Penn St. 45-40. 3-Point Goals–Iowa 12-28 (Bohannon 5-8, Moss 4-4, Kriener 2-3, Dailey 1-4, Garza 0-2, N.Baer 0-2, McCaffery 0-2, Wieskamp 0-3), Penn St. 12-35 (Dread 4-9, Reaves 4-9, Zemgulis 1-1, McCloskey 1-2, Wheeler 1-3, Bolton 1-6, Stevens 0-5). Fouled Out–None. Rebounds–Iowa 34 (Garza 12), Penn St. 32 (Watkins 11). Assists–Iowa 18 (Bohannon 6), Penn St. 23 (Reaves, Wheeler 7). Total Fouls–Iowa 11, Penn St. 20. Technicals–Garza. A–7,733

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