IOWA CITY, Iowa – A stellar performance by sophomore Kris Murray propelled the University of Iowa men’s basketball to an 83-74 victory over Indiana on Thursday night on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Murray matched a career-high with 17 points in the first half, while also hauling in seven boards through the first 20 minutes. Still, the Hoosiers would carry a seven point lead into the break.
The Hawkeyes chipped away at that margin in the second half, battling back to retake the lead on a string of scores by sophomore Tony Perkins. The Indianapolis native drained a floater to tie the game at 57 then scored a layup in transition and drained a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession to give Iowa a four-point advantage.
Iowa would not trail for the remainder of the game, as Murray racked up 29 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks, three steals, and three assists to finish with his first career double-double. Murray shot 12-of-18 (.667) from the field and drained a pair of 3-pointers in his most dominating performance to date.
Keegan Murray, the nation’s leading scorer, was hampered by foul trouble but still managed to finish with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting. The sophomore recorded nine rebounds, two blocks, one steal, and four fouls.
Sixth-year senior Jordan Bohannon also hit double figures, tallying 11 points. He finished 6-of-7 from the free throw line, including 4-of-4 in clutch second-half situations. Perkins scored eight points off the bench, connecting on 3-of-5 field goals.
Iowa finished with 34 points on 23 Hoosier turnovers and beat Indiana 17-7 in transition. The Hawkeyes won the rebounding battle, 35-31, while the defense forced seven blocks and 15 steals.
QUOTING COACH MCCAFFERY
“I think [the first possession of the second half] was a big play in the game. We got right on the floor and it was their ball to start. Instead of [the deficit] going from seven to nine, it went from seven to five. Patrick [McCaffery] is on the floor, Joe [Toussaint] is on the floor. I thought that was critical.
You look at the second half, you hold them to 26. This is a really good offensive team, and I think they had 14 turnovers in the second half. Really proud of how the guys fought, especially on the glass.”
Notables
- Iowa has won five of its last six games and improved to 10-1 at home this season.
- Sophomore Kris Murray posted his first career double-double (29 points, 11 rebounds). Murray had personal bests in both scoring and rebounding, tying his career high in the first half with 17 points.
- Jordan Bohannon drained his 400th career 3-pointer at the 14:06 mark of the first half. He is one of 20 players in NCAA history, and fifth player from a Power 5 Conference, to make 400 triples in a career. Bohannon finished the contest with 11 points and an assist.
- Iowa forced 23 Indiana turnovers, tying the second most by a Hawkeye opponent this season (24 versus Western Michigan; 23 versus Portland State).
- Tonight was the only regular season meeting between the two teams.
- The Hawkeyes had a 12-0 run in the first half, marking the 15th time in 16 games that Iowa had a scoring run of 10-0 or more.
UP NEXT
Iowa returns to action on Saturday at Minnesota (10-4, 1-4). Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. (CT) at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.