Unfortunately for the Penn State women's basketball team, its chance to seize a golden opportunity came on the road.

With losses by Illinois and Wisconsin, two teams in the Big Ten ahead of the Lady Lions (13-14, 6-8 Big Ten), they could have virtually solidified a top-five position in the conference with their first Big Ten road victory. Instead, their 79-72 loss to Iowa in Iowa City will have them looking at a Big Ten Tournament bye from the outside.

Freshman guard Tyra Grant's career-high 33 points could not alleviate the stress 25 turnovers put on Penn State, rendering the Illini's and Badgers' losses earlier in the day almost irrelevant. Though the Lady Lions dictated the tempo for most of the game, their lack of ball control allowed the Hawkeyes to convert too many opportunities in transition, including a stellar 7-8 performance from beyond the three-point arc.

"We didn't play defense," head coach Rene Portland told the Penn State Radio Network. "We allowed too many threes in the first half, and we just defensively didn't do the job today."

Iowa's star center Megan Skouby, who returned after missing three games with broken bones in her left hand, wasn't 100 percent, but strong perimeter play proved useful in sinking the Lady Lions. Sophomore guard Lindsey Nyenhuis served as catalyst for Iowa (13-14, 5-9) in the first half coming off the bench, tallying a career-high 13 points, including making all four of her triple chances. Point guard Kristi Smith led Iowa with 21 points.

"It feels good to go out there and not just get the win but to execute well, get high percentage shots and to play together," Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said in a press release. "It was a real team effort on both the offensive side of the ball, as well as the defensive side of things."

Bluder, looking for shooting, inserted the little-used Nyenhuis with her squad down eight points midway through the first half. Nyenhuis proceeded to score nine straight Hawkeye points, sparking a 14-5 run that would contribute to Iowa taking the lead by halftime.

"[Nyenhuis] was a major part of our destruction," Portland said. "The defensive performance by our guards really, really hurt us. We allowed their little point guard [Smith] to go coast-to-coast dribble with her right hand. We just forgot all defensive rules."

Portland juggled her lineup constantly, inserting Mashea Williams on multiple occasions to create pressure on the ball. Though Williams created multiple Iowa turnovers, the Lady Lions often gave the ball right back with their own miscues.

Portland said that Grant and senior center Amanda Brown tried to carry the team but could not counter the mistakes.

Notes: Grant's 33 points are the most by a Lady Lion since Kam Gissendanner netted 34 in a Dec. 4, 2005 double-overtime win against Texas Tech ... Though she poured in the points, Grant shot just 9-24 from the field and turned the ball over six times ... Brown scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, her 12th double-double of the season ... Had they won, the Lady Lions would be in a tie for fourth in the Big Ten. Instead, they dropped into a tie for seventh. The top five teams get byes in March's Big Ten tournament... No. 5 Ohio State suffered its first conference loss of the season, dropping a 62-59 decision to Michigan State.