Penn State basketball broke in the new year on a winning note. On the first day of 2023, Penn State successfully defended its home court in a Big Ten matchup with Iowa. After dominating the Hawkeyes in the first half, Penn State had to hold off a strong second-half surge from the visiting Hawkeyes, who put up 53 points after halftime. But thanks to Penn State’s 18-point lead in the first half, it was too big a hole for Iowa to climb out of on the road.
Jalen Pickett and Andrew Funk led the scoring for the Nittany Lions with 26 points and 20 points, respectively. Funk was five-of-eight from three-point land. Iowa’s Kris Murray led all players in the game with 32 points and nine rebounds, but he needed just a little more help to guide Iowa to a win.
Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s latest win, which improved the Nittany Lions to 11-3 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten this season.