BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The University of Iowa men’s basketball team fell to Indiana, 74-68, on Tuesday night at Assembly Hall. The Hawkeyes drop to 12-9 on the season and 4-6 in Big Ten conference play.
Junior Payton Sandfort tied a career-high 26 points. Sandfort’s offense kept the Hawkeyes in the game in the first half, as he scored 14 of the team’s 28 first half points. In total, the junior from Waukee, Iowa, shot 5-of-12 from downtown and 7-of-7 from the free throw line. Sandfort grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
Senior Tony Perkins led the second-half comeback scoring 17 points after the break. He finished the game with 22 points. Perkins has scored 20+ points in four consecutive games and is averaging 19.3 points over the past eight games. The duo of Perkins and Sandfort combined to score 48 of Iowa’s 68 points.
Sophomore Josh Dix rounded out the Hawkeyes in double digits with 10 points.
The Hawkeyes struggled to get it going in the first half, shooting 9-of-32 from the field and 4-of-13 from deep. Iowa was able to convert at the free throw line, making all six first half attempts. The Hawkeyes trailed at the break, 39-28.
Once trailing by 17 points, Iowa came back to tie the game at 49 with just over 10 minutes remaining. Sandfort gave Iowa the lead, 66-64, with under two minutes to play. A 3-pointer from Indiana’s Gabe Cupps gave the Hoosiers the lead that they would hold for the rest of the game.
Iowa finished the game shooting 23-of-65 (35%) from the field and 6-of-22 (27%) from three. The Hawkeyes stayed hot at the free throw line, converting on 16-of-19 attempts.
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH FRAN MCCAFFERY
“Yeah, you know, I thought we didn’t match the intensity level that [Indiana] came with to start the game. So, you’ve got to credit them for that. They jumped us. They were shooting the ball well but the energy level in the building and the energy level that they were playing with was better than ours. We settled down. We were down 17 and climbed back in. Got it to a manageable number. I thought our defensive intensity and our execution was way better in the second half. Got back into the game and took the lead. Credit them for pulling it out.”
“I was really proud of that, their effort. Their execution for the most part. They just kept coming. When you’re on the road and your behind it can get away from you. Especially in this building. We didn’t let it get away from us. That’s what the good teams do. Unfortunately, we didn’t finish it with a few more plays. But well learn from that.”
GAME NOTABLES
- Iowa erased a 17-point (39-22) first half deficit and a 12-point deficit in the second half (44-32) to tie the game at 49 with 10:37 to play.
- There were seven ties and six lead changes in the game.
- The Hawkeyes trailed 39-28 at the half despite enduring a nearly eight-minute scoring drought (1-of-14 FG) in the first half.
- Indiana went on a 12-0 run midway through the half, turning a 19-15 lead to 31-15. Iowa trailed by as many as 17 (39-22).
- It is the Hawkeyes’ second game decided by seven or fewer points this season (0-2).
- Junior Payton Sandfort and senior Tony Perkins combined to score 48 of Iowa’s 68 points.
- Sandfort recorded his second straight 20 point game, finishing with 26 points on 7-of-16 shooting, including five 3-pointers. He also had a team-high eight rebounds.
- Sandfort scored 14 points with three 3-pointers in the first half (he scored 35 and made nine 3s over his last two halves (at Michigan, vs. Indiana).
- It is Sandfort’s fifth 20-point game this season and the 12th of his career.
- It is the second time in his career he has scored 20 or more in consecutive games.
- He has made five or more 3-pointers in four games this season, at least four in eight games and three or more in 12 contests.
- Perkins had his fourth straight 20 point game, finishing with 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting. He also had four rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks.
- The last Hawkeye to post four consecutive 20-point games was Keegan Murray in the 2021-22 season.
- It was Perkins’ ninth game with three or more steals.
- Sophomore Josh Dix scored 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting. It was his fourth game in double figures this season.
- The Hawkeyes shot a season-low 35.4 from the field and were out-rebounded, 45-32.
- Iowa finished the game with three turnovers – tied for the fewest turnovers in a game in the Fran McCaffery era.
UP NEXT
Iowa returns home Friday, hosting Ohio State at 6 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
