LINCOLN, Neb. – The 25th-ranked University of Iowa men’s basketball team defeated Nebraska, 88-78, on Friday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena to notch its 20th victory of the season.
Iowa trailed for much of the first half before sixth year senior Jordan Bohannon found senior Filip Rebraca for a layup as time expired to give the Hawkeyes a 36-35 halftime advantage.
Iowa took charge in the second half, never ceding the lead en route to the 10-point victory.
Sophomore Tony Perkins led the way, scoring with a game and career-high 20 points. Perkins shot 80 percent from the floor, including 2-of-2 from behind the 3-point line. Perkins also hauled in five rebounds and posted a block to top off the standout performance.
Sophomore Keegan Murray posted his seventh double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds.Six Hawkeyes reached double figures in scoring. Bohannon and sophomore Kris Murray finished with 12 points apiece, while senior Connor McCaffery posted 11 points on 3-of-3 shooting from 3-point land and redshirt sophomore Patrick McCaffery put up 10 points.
The Hawkeyes remain undefeated when they win the battle on the glass, out-rebounding Nebraska, 35-29, overall and 12-6 on the offensive boards. Iowa also outscored the Huskers, 12-4, off of turnovers and 19-5 on second-chance opportunities.
Iowa shot 50 percent (31-of-62) from the floor on Friday.
NOTABLES
- The Hawkeyes recorded their eighth 20-win season of the Fran McCaffery era with tonight’s 88-78 victory over Nebraska.
- Iowa has won six of their last seven games to improve to 20-8 overall and 10-7 in the Big Ten.
- Iowa notched its 20th victory of the season for the eighth time in the Fran McCaffery era, including its fourth straight.
- Iowa has now won 10 or more Big Ten games in seven of the last eight seasons.
- The win is Iowa’s first in Lincoln since Feb. 22, 2015, and is the fourth straight victory in the series.
- Iowa notched its third season sweep over a Big Ten opponent (Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska).
- The Hawkeyes have won five true road games this season, including three straight.
- Iowa had a season-high six players finish in double figures for the first time this season.
- Sophomore Tony Perkins netted a career-high 20 points and tied a career-high with five rebounds. It was his first game in double figures since scoring 16 points against Illinois on Dec. 6, and his sixth game in double figures.
- Perkins had a career-high eight field goals and tied a personal-best with two 3-point field goals.
- All-America candidate Keegan Murray finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season (and his career). It was Murray’s eighth double-digit rebounding contest of his career.
- Senior Connor McCaffery scored 11 points, his second game in double figures this season. McCaffery drained three 3-pointers, giving him six straight 3-point makes over his last three games.
- Iowa made 31-of-62 field goals and move to 10-0 when shooting at least 50 percent from the floor.
- Iowa improved to 16-2 this season when scoring 80+ points and a perfect 17-0 when outrebounding its opponent.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes will host Northwestern in their home finale on Monday at 7 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. It will be “Senior Night” and the game will be televised on BTN. Tickets are available through the Iowa Ticket Office at hawkeyesports.com/tickets.