IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa junior defensive end A.J. Epenesa has been named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week and junior kicker Keith Duncan has been named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week, following Iowa’s 27-24 win at Nebraska. The announcement was made Monday by the Big Ten office.

Epenesa (6-foot-6, 280-pounds) is a native of Glen Carbon, Illinois, (Edwardsville High School) and earns the fourth weekly honor of his career and second of the season (Minnesota). Duncan (5-foot-10, 180-pounds), a graduate of Weddington, North Carolina, High School, earns his third weekly honor of the season (Iowa State, Illinois), and fourth of his career.

Epenesa set career highs in tackles (14) and tackles-for-loss (4.5-22 yards), with nine solo tackles and two sacks against Nebraska. Epenesa has recorded six sacks in his last five games. He leads the team with nine and ranks sixth in the Big Ten in sacks per game (0.75). His nine quarterback hurries and three forced fumbles are also team bests.

Epenesa is also one of five candidates for the Lott IMPACT Trophy Defensive Player of the Week (http://lottimpacttrophy.org/ player-of-the-week-2019/).

Epenesa led the Big Ten and ranked ninth in the nation last season with 10.5 sacks. He earned preseason All-America honors from six publications and was named to watch lists for the Nagurski, Bednarik, Lott, and Hendricks awards.

Duncan connected on a 48-yard field with one second remaining to help lead Iowa to a 27-24 win over Nebraska. It was Duncan’s second field goal of the game (49, 48). His 29 field goals made are the most in the NCAA this season, a single-season school record, a Big Ten record, and tied for the sixth-most in NCAA single-season history.

Duncan is 29-of-34 on field goal attempts this season, including 14-of-18 on tries of 40-plus-yards, and is a perfect 25-of-25 on PATs. Duncan’s 38 career made field goals are the sixth-most all-time in school history. He is also one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award.

Iowa (9-3, 6-3) will learn its bowl destination Sunday, Dec. 8.

AMES, Iowa – Ashley Joens and Inès Nezerwa combined for 45 points on Sunday afternoon at Hilton Coliseum to help lead Iowa State (5-1) past New Orleans (2-5), 71-53. Joens scored a game-high 24 points, while Nezerwa, a senior, poured in a career-high 21 on 8-of-11 from the field to lead Iowa State win its fourth straight.

How It Happened
The Cyclones set a blistering pace to open the game, jumping out to a 9-0 lead less than three minutes into the contest. Nezerwa helped key the fast start, scoring a game-high 10 first-quarter points in her fourth start of the season, including a pair of early buckets inside to force a New Orleans timeout just 2:37 into the game. The Privateers righted the ship late in the quarter to close the gap to 22-15 after 10 minutes of play.

Iowa State’s defense turned up the pressure in the second quarter with a suffocating effort. The Cyclones held New Orleans to just 3-of-12 shooting from the field and forced six turnovers in the second stanza. Iowa State extended its lead to 42-23 at halftime, led by 14 from Nezerwa and 12 from Joens.

The Cyclone offense cooled off from the field in the third quarter, connecting on just 4-of-12 attempts, including 1-of-6 from beyond the 3-point line. However, Iowa State earned 10 free throw attempts in the stanza to supplement the scoring and held a 57-41 lead with 10 minutes to play.

Iowa State would outscore UNO 14-12 in the final quarter, including six from Joens, to cruise to a 71-53 victory.

Players of Note
Ashley Joens put up her fifth 20-point game in six outings this season, finishing with a team-high 24 points, and tied a season-high with five steals on the afternoon. She also pulled down a team-high seven rebounds on the afternoon.

Inès Nezerwa went for double figures for the second time in as many games, scoring a career-high 21 points, 14 of which came in the first half. The senior eclipsed her previous career-high (18) in the third quarter and also chipped in four rebounds, four blocks and three steals in 26 minutes of action.

Rae Johnson chipped in 12 points on a tidy 4-of-7 shooting performance, with all of her field goal attempts coming from 3-point territory.

Up Next
Iowa State hits the road to take on Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Thursday at 5 p.m. at Coleman Coliseum. The game will be broadcast live on SEC Network.