Iowa's big second half leads Hawkeyes over Penn State on historic night for Luka Garza
Iowa defeated Penn State 74-68 on Sunday evening thanks to a second half surge.
The Hawkeyes trailed in this game at halftime, but out-scored the Nittany Lions 38-27 in the second half to earn the win.
National Player of the Year frontrunner Luka Garza scored a game-high 23 points, but this was a special occasion for the senior. He also become the all-time career scoring leader in Iowa history.
Garza added in 11 rebounds and two assists.
As a team, the Hawkeyes shot 44.8 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc.
The difference came in the second half as Iowa tightened up on defense. The Nittany Lions shot just 21.4 percent from the field after halftime after exploding for 41 points in the opening 20 minutes. No Penn State player cracked double digits in the second half.
As a result, Penn State has now lost four straight games and its NCAA Tournament chances are waning. The Nittany Lions still have decent ratings according to NET and KenPom, but a 4-11 conference record will be tough to overcome.
On the other side, Iowa is looking to secure a top-2 seed in the Big Dance. Getting to the 1-seed line might be difficult, but the Hawkeyes are well on pace to earning a No. 2 seed.
Iowa’s next game is at Michigan on Thursday.