Game Grades: No. 23 Iowa

Story posted January 17, 2019 in CommRadio, Sports by David Green

No. 23 Iowa (15-3, 4-3) had a back and forth battle with Penn State (7-11, 0-7) Wednesday in the Bryce Jordan Center and won 89-82. The Nittany Lions have lost five straight games and are looking for any type of bounce-back victory at this point after a tough loss to the Hawkeyes.

Here are some grades for Wednesday’s game:

Offense: B-

The Nittany Lions started out the game very aggressive on the offensive end in attack mode, but once Iowa used its first timeout and made adjustments, the 8-0 run Penn State began the game with was quickly erased. Both Myles Dread and Josh Reeves were able to convert on four 3-pointers a piece but it was not enough to offset players like Lamar Stevens going 0 of 5 from deep.

One thing the Nittany Lions did well offensively was pass the ball well, as both Reeves and Wheeler recorded seven assists. Rasir Bolton also contributed 16 points for Penn State off the bench.

Defense: C

Two familiar faces led the way defensively for Penn State, Josh Reeves and Mike Watkins. Reeves had four steals and Mike Watkins had two steals to go along with his four blocks. Although these two put up numbers on defense, the Nittany Lions lost this game because they failed to defend the 3-point line. Penn State allowed Iowa to shoot 42.9 percent from deep while the Nittany Lions only shot 34.3 percent from beyond the arc. The zone defense Penn State appeared to be in for a majority of the game was not effective against a talented shooting team like the Hawkeyes.

Coaching: C-

Penn State started out the game with an energy so high that it was not sustainable for the duration of the game. The 8-0 run to start the game had Penn State up early but Iowa was able to control the three point line ever since the first timeout was called. The Nittany Lions weren’t able to execute in the waning minutes of regulation, mainly because they could not get a good look at the basket on their last two possessions. Too little too late for the Lions cost them a possible upset against No. 23 ranked Iowa.

 

 

David Green is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email davidrgreen95@gmail.com.