No. 20 Iowa Advances To Semifinals

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jeff Horner scored 26 points to lead No. 20 Iowa to a 67-57 win over Minnesota on Friday in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals.

Horner’s six 3-pointers tied a tournament record. He also had six assists, six rebounds and five steals.

Vincent Grier led Minnesota with 29 points, the eighth-highest total in tournament history. He set a tournament record with 13 field goals, but the rest of the Golden Gophers shot 9-for-37.

Grier made all but one of Minnesota’s field goals in the second half, and he was the only Golden Gopher to reach double figures.

Iowa’s Greg Brunner scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half.

With Iowa leading 39-35 in the second half, Grier dribbled right, came back left and brought down a thunderous left-handed slam with 13:50 left. Grier completed the three-point play to cut Iowa’s lead to 39-38.

Minnesota (15-14) carried the momentum from Grier’s highlight-reel jam to a 45-41 lead, but Horner responded with two free throws, then a 3-pointer, to put second-seeded Iowa (23-8) ahead for good. Brunner scored six points in an 11-4 run that gave the Hawkeyes a 59-51 lead.

Horner and Grier went back and forth in the closing minutes of the first half. Grier scored two buckets to cut Iowa’s lead to 27-25, then Horner came right back with a 3-pointer to give the Hawkeyes a 30-25 lead. A 3-pointer by Minnesota’s Adam Boone and a bucket by Zach Puchtel tied the score at 30 at halftime.

Iowa will face either Michigan State or Illinois in the semifinals Saturday.