Brooks sparks 65-51 win over Iowa for Penn State

(AP) - Penn State coach Ed DeChellis was nervous with his team trailing by 11 in the first half and as lethargic as the subdued home crowd.

Jeff Brooks' sparkling play energized the Nittany Lions on both ends of the floor.

Brooks scored 22 points and lifted Penn State with his active defense, and Talor Battle broke out of a two-game shooting slump with 23 points in a 65-51 win Wednesday night over Iowa. A loss would have been disastrous for the Nittany Lions' cloudy postseason future.

"I don't know if we win this game last year," said DeChellis, referring to Penn State's disappointing 11-20 record last season. "We wouldn't have the synergy."

Not this season, not with a team that's regained confidence with two wins over Top 25 teams and close road losses at Ohio State and Purdue by a combined four points.

And not with the athletic Brooks and dynamic scorer Battle leading the way after an opening 10 minutes that had Penn State (11-8, 4-4 Big Ten) trailing 21-10.

"Those two guys are having as good a year as anybody in our league," Iowa coach Fran McCaffrey said. "We couldn't keep either of them under control, and that was disappointing."

Jarryd Cole had 11 points, while Matt Gatens added 10 for the Hawkeyes (8-12, 1-7), who couldn't build on the momentum of Sunday's 14-point victory over Indiana for their first conference win.

Iowa's Bryce Cartwright scored all nine of his points in the first half, when the Hawkeyes capitalized on eight turnovers and otherwise sloppy periods of play on the offensive end for Penn State.

That is, until Brooks sparked a 10-0 run with a pretty step-back 3 over a defender with 2:48 left to help Penn State lead 29-28 at the break. His two first-half blocks also riled up the crowd, including one in which the 6-foot-8 forward soared into the air and swatted the ball into the stands.

"Basically, I'm just trying to be an energy guy on defense," Brooks said. "Those are the plays that we need. ... I love catching those blocks."

The Nittany Lions led by nine midway through the second half but couldn't shake the pesky Hawkeyes after back-to-back turnovers helped Iowa get to 50-45 with 6:12 left on Roy Devyn Marble's 3.

Brooks scored the next five on a bucket in the lane and a 3 to settle the Nittany Lions, and Battle's 3-point play with 2:36 left built the lead to 10.

"I tell you what, he's really impressed me," McCaffrey said about Brooks. "Very few guys of his length can go off the dribble and shoot 3s like he can. He impacts the game in so many different ways."

Penn State shot 53.2 percent on the night (25 of 47), the third straight game the team made at least half its shots.

But it's the defensive play that rattled Iowa. After shooting 42 percent in the first half, the Hawkeyes shot just 32 percent in the second, often rushing or taking ill-advised shots in the lane.

And when they missed, Penn State controlled the glass. After a poor start on the boards, the Nittany Lions outrebounded the Hawkeyes 30-21, including 21-12 on the defensive glass.

"The difference between this year and last year, we were able to dig ourselves out and win the game," Battle said.

Battle shot 8 of 13, often twisting and turning in the lane to the bucket. He also hit from about 30 feet for his only 3 of the night. Battle had shot just 10 of 32 over his two previous games.