Iowa 77, Penn State. 58


February 4, 2004 at 12:00a.m.


Iowa 77, Penn State. 58
By TODD DVORAK
Associated Press Writer
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -- Jeff Horner scored 20 points, including six 3-pointers, to lead Iowa to a 77-58 victory over Penn State Saturday night.
The Hawkeyes (11-7, 4-3 Big Ten) knocked Penn State off balance early thanks to 70 percent field goal shooting in the first half, and a 10-of-14 performance from behind the 3-point line in the first 20 minutes.
Pierre Pierce scored 17 points and Glen Worley added 14 as the Hawkeyes beat the Nittany Lions (9-9, 3-4) for the third straight time and six of the last seven at Carver Hawkeye Arena.
Iowa's hot shooting staked the Hawkeyes to a 23-point lead at the half, and a 29-point advantage midway through the second half.
Penn State made a late run but failed to get any closer than 16 points. Marlon Smith finished as the leading scorer for the Nittany Lions with 22.
Iowa shot 55 percent for the game, just three days after shooting a season high 58 percent in a loss at Michigan. The Hawkeyes, playing without starting center Sean Sonderleiter, who missed the game for personal reasons, also hit 60 percent of their 3-pointers, a season high.
Horner, who also had eight assists and five rebounds, missed only one shot all night -- a layup midway through the second half. He has scored 20 points or more in four of the last six games for the Hawkeyes.
The Nittany Lions struggled to find their shooting touch throughout the game. Jan Jagla and Ben Luber each added 11 points, but as a team Penn State shot just 33 percent and a paltry 20.8 percent of 3-pointers.
Iowa built a 17-3 lead when Worley hit his first 3-pointer at the 14:11 mark. Late in the half, Iowa took its biggest lead when Boyd nailed a 3-pointer to put Iowa up 45-18 with 2:39 left.
The Hawkeyes were also up to the challenge defensively. Iowa starters kept Penn State without a field goal for the first 6:07 of the game, held the Nittany Lions to 24 percent shooting and on several first-half possessions forced Penn State to hurry shots to beat the 24-second clock.