Early exit for Hawkeyes in rough loss

CHICAGO - There might be a tomorrow for the Iowa men's basketball team, but there certainly isn't a rainbow, at least not until Sunday.

The Hawkeyes (21-11) blew an 11-point second-half lead and lost 67-58 to Penn State (18-15) in a Big Ten Tournament second-round game Thursday. The defeat knocked Iowa from the tournament and now its NCAA tournament resume is complete. All that's left is the judgment.

But if last impressions make a difference in NCAA seeds and locations, the Hawkeyes offered one that at times required smelling salts. If you need a plug-your-nose statistic, the box score provided it.

Iowa shot 21.9 percent in the second half and 26.3 percent overall. The Hawkeyes went 11 consecutive possessions in the second half without a field goal, a stretch that lasted 8 minutes and 10 missed shots. Iowa's lead sank from 32-21 to a 36-34 deficit, a 15-2 run.

The Hawkeyes out-rebounded the Nittany Lions 49-34 and pulled down 19 offensive rebounds. But - as the field-goal percentage attests - Iowa slumped around the rim. The Hawkeyes scored just 13 second-chance points and centers Adam Woodbury and Gabe Olaseni combined to make just two of nine from the floor.

'I thought we didn't bring the same physicality on the other side,” said Iowa senior Aaron White, who led all scorers with 21 points. 'We weren't as physical, we weren't as locked in, we weren't ... I just thought we could have played better defense in the second half.”

'It's the Big Ten. We've made shots like that before, we just happened to miss them (Thursday),” Olaseni said. 'That's definitely on us.”

As much as Iowa struggled offensively, it reverted to its early-season, inconsistent form on defense. Penn State shot 53.6 percent in the second half and outscored the Hawkeyes 48-31 after halftime.

'I go back to the defense,” White said. 'We can live without making shots as long as we go back and get it. Sometimes the ball's not going to go in, but when you give up 48 points in the second half, it's pretty hard to win. I'll put it on the defense rather than the offense. A lot of people are going to ask about the stats and the shooting percentages and this and that, but it comes down to getting stops.”

The Hawkeyes weren't perfect from the coaching box, either. With Penn State holding a 42-40 lead, Woodbury missed a shot at the rim, which was rebounded by Brandon Taylor. Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery argued for a goaltending call but instead was hit with a technical. That led to a pair of D.J. Newbill free throws and jumper. One possession later, Newbill dropped a 3-pointer to give Penn State a 49-42 lead.

McCaffery declined to talk about the technical. Woodbury wasn't sure if it was goaltending.

'I shot it, and I had a guy blocking my view,” Woodbury said. 'I was trying to go back and get it, and I didn't get a chance to see it. Coach was pretty adamant of what happened so I trust whatever he says.”

Despite the loss, Iowa remains a virtual lock for its second straight NCAA tournament berth. The Hawkeyes had won six straight league games, finished 12-6 in league play and 7-3 in true road games. The only question now is when and where.

'You don't put success or failure in one game, especially in a sport like basketball where you play 30-plus games,” White said. 'We've had a good year, we've had a good run to end the season. Bad game (Thursday), but at the same time, we'll get a chance wherever we go in the NCAA tournament. I guarantee our fight, our energy and our play will be better than it was (Thursday).”

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