Riding an embarrassing 13-game losing streak into tonight's 7 p.m. contest against Iowa, the Penn State men's basketball team has one final chance to leave its hometown fans with something positive to cheer about.

It is one last opportunity to give the blue and white faithful hope for next season, and provide at least one reason to fill the BJC seats next year.

Sophomore forward Jamelle Cornley said it's important to get a win to reward the fans for the support they've offered during the season.

"Any last game in front of any type of support or fan base, you want to put on a great showing and give them something to leave on a great note," Cornley said.

But getting that win is going to be more difficult because the Lions are hobbled with injuries.

Cornley -- the Big Ten's leader in minutes per game (35.8) -- missed Monday's practice with a hip pointer. But the emotional leader was quick to say that it would take "something to be broke" to force him to miss the game.

"I'm not really worried about not playing," Cornley said. "At all."

Senior point guard Ben Luber joins Cornley on the injury list. Sprained tendons in his left wrist will cause Luber to miss the final home game of his college career.

The most likely candidate to fill his starting spot, according to Penn State head coach Ed DeChellis, is junior Mike Walker.

Although a Luber injury is not how Walker wanted to make his first start of the year, he is excited none the less.

"I feel more comfortable starting," Walker said. "When you know you're going to start, and you know you're the point guard, you have a little more confidence in yourself because you know it's on you. So I definitely feel more comfortable starting."

With one of its two pillars playing at less than full-health and a new point guard running the offense, Penn State's task is difficult enough.

Add to that an Iowa (16-12, 8-6 Big Ten) team on a mission to make the NCAA tournament, and the Lions have their hands full.

"Iowa's 8-6 and coming in fighting for an NCAA tournament birth [while] we're trying to get out of a streak and find a good feeling," DeChellis said. "[Today] is really important to go into the conference tournament on a winning note and gain some confidence."

But just because Penn State (10-17, 1-13) is the Big Ten doormat and the Hawkeyes are battling for position doesn't mean Iowa is overlooking the Lions and focusing on their Saturday date with Illinois.

Hawkeye head coach Steve Alford played for legendary mentor Bob Knight at Indiana, and Alford said he understands the hazards of going on the road in the Big Ten.

"We don't have a huge margin for error and we know we have to play well regardless of who we're playing against," Alford said. "[Penn State] did a good job against us here, they got 27 offensive rebounds. So, we know we've got to go perform and play well at both ends to have a shot at a victory in this league on the road."

While the Hawkeyes have everything to play for, Penn State is still searching for anything positive while avoiding humiliation.

Losing out would give this year's squad the dubious distinction of longest single-season losing streak in Penn State history. The fiery Cornley said that's something none of the players want to be associated with, especially him.

"It's tough when you even have to think about losing streaks," Cornley said. "Nobody likes to lose 12 or 13 games in a row, but it's something that has happened and we just have to find a way to get out of it. That's all there is to it."