BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Junior Luka Garza scored 38 points, the but the No. 21/17 University of Iowa men’s basketball team was on the wrong side of the scoreboard, falling 89-77 at Indiana on Thursday night at Assembly Hall.
Garza scored 21 points in the first half, but the Hawkeyes trailed 49-34 after the Hoosiers came out red-hot from 3-point range.
Iowa led by one, 9-8, 4 1/2 minutes in before Indiana made five 3-pointers, including four from Devonte Green, to open a 25-16 lead. The Hoosiers pushed their lead to 15 midway through the half and a fifth Green 3-pointer stretched the advantage to 17 (44-27) at the 4:25 mark.
The Hawkeyes cut the deficit to 44-34 with 1:21 remaining, but the Hoosiers took the momentum into the break when Aljami Durham connected from 3-point range at the buzzer, giving Indiana a 49-34 lead.
Indiana pushed its lead to 20 (60-40) just 4 1/2 minutes into the second half, but Iowa fought back, closing the deficit to 68-58 with 6:21 left. The Hawkeyes never got any closer.
Garza made 14-of-22 field goals and went 3-of-6 from 3-point range and 7-of-8 from the free throw stripe en route to his second highest point total of the season. Garza also had a team-high eight rebounds and four blocks.
Sophomore Joe Wieskamp was the only other Hawkeye in double figures, finishing with 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting to go along with six rebounds.
Iowa shot 50 percent from the field, but went just 4-of-14 from 3-point range. Indiana finished with a 45.9 field goal percentage, but made 11 3-pointers and out-rebounded the Hawkeyes, 39-28.
Green led a group of four Hoosiers in double figures with 27 points with all seven of his field goals coming from 3-point range. Trace Jackson-Davis posted a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Quoting Head Coach Fran McCaffery
“Our defense was good at times and not so good at times. They key was they got to the offensive glass and it impacted the game that way. When you do get stops, you have to get the ball. They’re big and strong, it’s what they do and they do it well.”
Of Note…
- Redshirt freshman CJ Fredrick left the game at the 5:24 mark of the first half and he did not return.
- Garza’s 38 points are his second highest point total of the season (44 at Michigan). He has scored 20+ points for the 10th straight Big Ten contest, the longest streak by a Hawkeye in 49 years. Tonight marked the fifth time this season that Garza netted 30+ points in a game and 10th time that Garza has had 25+ points in a game.
- Garza’s 38 points are the third highest point total scored by a Hawkeye in the Fran McCaffery era.
- Tonight was the only regular season meeting between Iowa and Indiana.
Up Next
Iowa returns to action Sunday at Minnesota. Tipoff is set for noon (CT) at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.
