IOWA CITY, Iowa – Four Hawkeyes landed in double figures to lead the University of Iowa men’s basketball team to a 99-47 victory over Slippery Rock on Friday night on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Redshirt sophomore Patrick McCaffery and sophomore Keagan Murray combined to make 14 of 20 field goal attempts and score 35 points. McCaffery scored 18 points and had eight rebounds, while Murray netted 17 points to go along with five boards.
Freshman Payton Sandfort and senior Austin Ash finished with 12 and 10 points off the bench. Sandfort made 5-of-8 field goals, including two 3s, while Ash made two 3s and four total field goals in nine minutes.
📽 Highlights from tonight’s tune up to the 2021-22 season. The #Hawkeyes will open the season on Tuesday! 🏀 pic.twitter.com/qTRfSGfW6u
— Iowa Basketball (@IowaHoops) November 6, 2021
The Hawkeyes put up 99 points, shooting 52.1 percent from the field, including 54.5 percent in the second half. Iowa made 17-of-20 free throws, but struggled from deep, making just 6-of-21 attempts.
Iowa utilized its size advantage to score 60 points in the paint (Slippery Rock had 18) and the Hawkeyes were +22 on the glass, 56-34.
Thirteen different Hawkeyes scored, leading to a 47-23 advantage in bench points.
Defensively, Iowa limited Slippery Rock to 21.5 percent shooting. The Rock made 14 field goals (in 65 attempts) and four 3-pointers in the game.
Iowa started both halves strong. The Hawkeyes scored 18 of the first 20 points to start the game and led 41-18 at the break. After halftime, Iowa reeled off the first 14 points, which included eight points and back-to-back 3s from Sandfort during the run.
QUOTING COACH MCCAFFERY
“There were some good things you want to emphasize. The way we came out defensively, the way we moved and shared the ball. When I put the next group in, they were tight, but they were playing hard. We were upset about nine turnovers and 10 offensive rebounds in the first half… that was unacceptable.
“We started that group in the second half and they were great. We went on a 14-0 run to start the second half and held Slippery Rock scoreless for four minutes. There were a lot of solid performances and a lot to be happy about, but it’s going to get harder from here on.”
OF NOTE…
– After having eight assists on 14 first-half field goals, Iowa had 13 assists on 24 second-half field goals. The team finished with 21 assists in the game.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes open the regular season Tuesday, hosting Longwood at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in a 9:05 p.m. (CT) start. Tickets are available at hawkeyesports.com.