David Taylor of Penn State cruises to a semifinal win on Saturday night. Tony Rotundo photo.

EVANSTON, Ill. – Penn State figured out a way to regroup between sessions of the Big Ten Championships on Saturday.

The second-ranked Nittany Lions set a goal of going a perfect 6-for-6 during the semifinal round on Saturday night at Northwestern University’s Welsh-Ryan Arena

Mission almost accomplished.

Penn State moved into the lead after placing five wrestlers in the finals while No. 3 Iowa advanced four to the finals before a boisterous crowd of more than 5,000 fans.

The Nittany Lions now hold a narrow 110.5-109 lead over Iowa in the team race. Wrestling resumes Sunday at 1 p.m. with the finals set for 3 p.m. The finals will be televised live on the Big Ten Network.

“This is a great atmosphere to wrestle in,” Penn State freshman David Taylor said. “Every point counts and every win counts. We know how important every match is in this tournament. It’s a great battle with Iowa right now. We just have to keep working hard.”

The third-ranked Hawkeyes, winners of the last three Big Ten wrestling titles and 34 overall, lost three matches in overtime in the semis and another by one point.

“You’ve got to take control,” Iowa coach Tom Brands said. “Wrestle to score points so it’s not a tight situation. Wrestle to score points. We need to create opportunities, because you’re not going to win those matches eking them out like that. You’ve got to build your leads.”

The Nittany Lions have finalists in Andrew Long (133 pounds), Frank Molinaro (149), Taylor (157), Ed Ruth (174) and Quentin Wright (184).

The Hawkeyes have finalists in returning NCAA champion Matt McDonough (125), Derek St. John (157), Luke Lofthouse (197) and Blake Rasing (heavyweight)

Two-time Big Ten champion Andrew Howe of Wisconsin reached the finals after pulling out a 3-2 overtime win over Iowa’s Aaron Janssen at 165. Howe, a 2010 NCAA champion, has missed the past two months with a hamstring injury.

Badger teammate Trevor Brandvold reached the finals at 197. He is a returning Big Ten champion.

Two-time Big Ten champion Kellen Russell of Michigan beat All-American Jimmy Kennedy of Illinois 6-4 in overtime to make the finals at 141. Russell, seventh in the NCAA in 2009, won the Big Ten in 2008 and 2009 before redshirting last year.

2010 Big Ten champion Mike Thorn of Minnesota rallied to beat Iowa’s Montell Marion 7-5 in overtime in the 141 semis. Marion, a returning NCAA runner-up, led 5-1 with 40 seconds left in regulation.

The Big Ten has earned 64 of 281 automatic qualifying spots for the NCAAs, set for March 17-19 in Philadelphia. An additional 49 at-large berths will be awarded on March 9.

FINALS MATCHUPS

125 pounds
No. 1 Matt McDonough (Iowa) vs. No. 2 Brandon Precin (Northwestern)

133 Pounds
No. 1 Andrew Long (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Tyler Graff (Wisconsin)

141 Pounds
No. 1 Kellen Russell (Michigan) vs. No. 3 Mike Thorn (Minnesota)

149 Pounds
No. 1 Frank Molinaro (Penn State) vs. No. 6 Eric Grajales (Michigan)

157 Pounds
No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Derek St. John (Iowa)

165 Pounds
No. 1 Andrew Howe (Wisconsin) vs. No. 2 Colt Sponseller (Ohio State)

174 Pounds
No. 1 Ed Ruth (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Nick Heflin (Ohio State)

184 Pounds
No. 8 Quentin Wright (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota)

197 Pounds
No. 1 Trevor Brandvold (Wisconsin) vs. No. 2 Luke Lofthouse (Iowa)

285 Pounds
No. 4 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) vs. No. 3 Blake Rasing (Iowa)