EVANSTON, Illinois — The University of Iowa men’s basketball team fell to Northwestern, 80-60, on Sunday night at a sold out Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Junior Kris Murray led Iowa with 14 points. He also grabbed five rebounds, one steal, and an assist.
Junior Tony Perkins scored 11 points, all on 5-of-8 (63 percent) shooting in the second half. Iowa’s final double-digit scorer was fifth-year Filip Rebraca, who posted 10 points, seven rebounds and one steal.
The Hawkeyes won the rebounding battle, 35-31, but were in search of a spark offensively; Iowa finished 3-of-24 (13 percent) from behind the arc and 23-of-54 (43 percent) overall from the floor.
The Wildcats, for their part, hit 10-of-20 tries from deep, led by senior standout Boo Buie’s 23 points and eight assists. In a game between teams that entered the week tied for ninth nationally in turnovers allowed (10.0 average), Iowa gave the ball up 15 teams, while forcing 10 Wildcat miscues.
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH FRAN MCCAFFERY
“You have got to give Northwestern credit. They made shots early. [Ty] Berry was really good early. Buie was, of course, terrific. He has been terrific all year, one of the best players in our league. We just struggled. You are going to have a hard time winning going three of 24 from three. They played well from the start.
“The bottom line is you have got to give credit to your opponent. We didn’t get in sync. Our transition, our halfcourt offense, nothing was flowing correctly. You can’t blame anybody, you just have to be better. You have to learn and grow from that and be better. And credit your opponent for how well they played. They played really well, they have been playing really well. They are one of the best teams in our league. Give credit to [Northwestern head coach Chris Collins]. I have said before he will be the coach of the year in our league without a double in my mind.”
HAWKEYE NOTABLES
- Tonight’s loss snapped Iowa’s nine-game win streak over Northwestern.
- Iowa is in a four-way tie for fourth place in the Big Ten standings with Maryland, Rutgers, and Michigan.
- Iowa’s three 3-pointers made equaled a season low, while its 12.5 percent from long distance was a season low.
- Iowa has played three of its last four games on the road.
UP NEXT
Iowa (17-10, 9-7) returns to action on Wednesday at Wisconsin (15-11, 7-9). Tipoff is scheduled for 8:07 p.m. (CT) at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
