Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | Hawk Talk Monthly — February | McCaffery Transcript (PDF) | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch | Photo Gallery | Box Score (pdf) | Boxscore
By RICK BROWN
hawkeyesports.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Mr. Clutch did it again.
Jordan Bohannon got the 19th-ranked University of Iowa men’s basketball team into overtime with a cold-blooded fall-away 3-pointer, then added three more from long distance in the extra session as the Hawkeyes beat Indiana, 76-70, Friday inside a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Bohannon’s final 3, with 20 seconds remaining in the overtime, was the dagger.
“He enjoys the moment,” Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said.
McCaffery said when he watched Bohannon at Linn-Mar (Iowa) High School he reminded him of Steph Curry. He wasn’t afraid of the moment, he had a quick release, and an uncanny ability to get a shot off.
The moment was big Friday and Bohannon delivered.
“The great thing is he had a bunch of guys getting him the ball,” McCaffery said.
Bohannon has never lacked for confidence, even when the game is on the line. Iowa’s last five games have been decided by a total of 15 points.
The degree of difficulty on Bohannon’s shots looks high to a novice. Not to him.
“I’m probably a better shooter with a guy in my face than when I’m open,” Bohannon said. “I feel real confident.”
No matter how difficult they look.
“When I have the ball in my hands, I’m confident that they’re going to go in,” he said.
Iowa improved to 21-6 overall and 10-6 in the Big Ten on a night when the Hoosiers had the upper hand for most of the game. The final score was Iowa’s largest lead of the game.
Bohannon scored 14 of his 17 points in the last 7:17 of action. Bohannon scored 25 points in the Hawkeyes’ 77-72 victory at Indiana earlier this month. Eleven of those points came in the final 1:31 of that game.
“Give Jordan Bohannon credit,” Indiana head coach Archie Miller said. “He’s having an incredibly clutch year.”
Miller liked the defense his team played on Bohannon.
“Once he makes one, you’re sort of at his mercy,” Miller said.
Tyler Cook added 18 points and Luka Garza 16 for Iowa. Indiana lost for the 12th time in 13 games. The exception was a 79-75 victory at Michigan State.
The Hawkeyes trailed from the two-minute mark of the first half until a Cook basket at the 3:23 mark of overtime. Iowa was down by six points with 2:25 remaining in regulation. After Bohannon tied the game with his 3-pointer, Indiana had a shot at winning the game, but Romeo Langford missed a 3-pointer from the top of the key.
Bohannon sealed the deal with his last 3, but he had a lot of help.
Garza, breaking out of a slump, drew a charge on Langford with 1:05 remaining in regulation, which wiped out a basket with the Hoosiers leading 62-60. Garza also had a key offensive rebound that led to Bohannon’s first 3-pointer of overtime.
QUOTING HEAD COACH FRAN MCCAFFERY
“It’s an expectation of himself,” McCaffery said of Bohannon. “He’s always done it and has been good at it. He knows we believe in him and his teammates believe in him.”
WORTH NOTING
- Iowa missed all eight 3-point attempts in the first half. It’s the first time in Big Ten play this season that they didn’t have a first-half triple.
- Friday marked the third time Iowa has won 21 regular-season games in Fran McCaffery’s nine seasons as coach. It also happened in 2014-15 and 2015-16. Both those teams made the NCAA Tournament. Iowa has reached the 20-win mark in five of the last seven seasons.
- Iowa completed a regular-season sweep of the Hoosiers for the first time since 2010-11 (91-77 in Iowa City, 64-63 at Indiana.)
ON THE HORIZON
The Hawkeyes play three of their final four regular-season Big Ten games on the road, starting with a game at Ohio State on Tuesday. Iowa beat the Buckeyes in the first meeting Jan. 12 in Iowa City, 72-62.
