IOWA CITY, Iowa -- After popping a three-pointer with three minutes, 21 seconds remaining in the game, Steve Wydman headed to the sideline. He needed to rest a spell. After all, the walk-on had delivered.

Even though Penn State left Iowa City empty-handed with an 81-70 loss to the Hawkeyes on Saturday, Wydman managed to tally a career-high 15 points. The senior also shot 50 percent (2-of-4) from three-point land.

"Over the past few weeks I've really felt confident," Wydman said. "I've been analyzing my shot more than I ever have, and I think it's paid off. In doing that analyzation, I don't think about shooting as much -- it just comes natural."

Wydman received a substantial amount of playing time against the Hawkeyes because Michael Jennings saw limited action after sustaining a knee injury in the Ohio State contest. The Dallas, Texas native was averaging 10 minutes on the court this season prior to Saturday's affair.

"All my big playing time has been when somebody is hurt," Wydman said. "I'll take it as it comes, but it really felt good out there to have to give a fist a few times -- really exert yourself."

Wydman was able to exert himself in front of 15,500 crazed Hawkeye fans. The ambiance inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena seemed to spark the marketing major.

"This is a great arena to play in -- it's one of my favorites," Wydman said. "I think it really helped out."

The help off the bench that Wydman supplied the Nittany Lions on Saturday impressed Coach Bruce Parkhill. Along with shooting 6-of-9 from the field, Wydman also had two assists and one steal.

"He always plays hard," Parkhill said. "I thought he did some good things, he made some good decisions. He hit a couple shots and took it to the basket."

The 6-foot-2, 175-pound guard hopes to take it to the basket in future games this season. Wydman has already increased his scoring average from a year ago.

"I've really been blessed," Wydman said. "I've never gotten really hurt since I've been here. God's watching over me. I just feel really fortunate with all the opportunities I'm getting."