Athletics

Men's basketball defeats Iowa to advance to Big Ten quarterfinals

D.J. Newbill scored 18 to lead Penn State past Iowa in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday (March 12). Credit: GoPSUsports.comAll Rights Reserved.

D.J. Newbill scored 18 points and the 13th-seed Penn State men's basketball over came an 11-point second half deficit to upset No. 5 seed Iowa, 67-58,  in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament Thursday afternoon in Chicago.

The Nittany Lions (18-15, 4-14) move on to face No. 4 seed Purdue in the tournament quarterfinals at approximately 2:30 p.m. EDT Friday (March 13). Purdue escaped the Bryce Jordan Center with an 84-77 overtime win on Jan. 17 in the teams' lone meeting this year.

Ross Travis added 17 for Penn State, including a pivotal three-point play with 30 seconds remaining. After the Hawkeyes pulled within two at 58-56, Travis put in a reverse layup while being fouled and made the ensuing free throw. After an Iowa miss, D.J. Newbill's breakaway dunk with 19 seconds remaining effectively sealed the game for the Lions. Geno Thorpe scored 11 to help key the Penn State victory.

"D.J. had a stretch where he was unbelievable," Penn State Coach Patrick Chambers said. "Ross Travis' play at the end really was pivotal. For a senior to step up like that knowing that the shot clock is going down, and doing the right thing for his teammates to get to the basket... The team really contributed in every way. I'm really proud of them, and we're happy to stay in Chicago another day. "

Penn State defeated Rutgers, 68-65, on Wednesday afternoon to advance to the second round matchup against the Hawkeyes. The wins are the Nittany Lions' first Big Ten Tournament victories since 2011, when they fell in the final to Ohio State.

Last Updated March 13, 2015