Hawkeyes Fall in College Park, 78-66

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The University of Iowa men’s basketball team fell to Maryland, 78-66, on Wednesday night at the Xfinity Center. The Hawkeyes drop to 14-11 on the season and 6-8 in Big Ten conference play.

Junior Payton Sandfort led the Hawkeyes in the scoring column for the eighth time this season. The Waukee, Iowa, native scored 19 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out three assists.

Graduate Ben Krikke scored 11 points on an efficient 5-of-8 from the field. Senior Tony Perkins added nine points while co-leading the Hawkeyes on the glass with eight rebounds.

Payton Sandfort was hot in the first half, scoring 11 points. The Iowa defense forced Maryland into 2-of-13 (15.4%) from deep and 13-of-31 (41.9%) from the field in the first 20 minutes. Both teams were active on the glass, combining for 15 first-half offensive rebounds. The Hawkeyes shot 5-of-13 (38.5%) from three and 14-of-32 (43.8%) from the field as they led the Terrapins at the break, 37-31.

The Hawkeyes led the Terrapins 54-44 with 12 minutes remaining, but Maryland went on a 17-6 run to take their first lead since it was 2-0. Maryland got hot from the field in the second half, shooting 12-of-21 (57.1%) from the field. The Terrapins shot 21-of-26 (80.8%) from the free throw line in the final twenty minutes.

Maryland was led by Jahmir Young with 21 points with 15 of those coming in the second half. The Hawkeyes finished the game shooting 26-of-64 (40.6%) from the field and 6-of-22 (27.3%) from deep.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH FRAN MCCAFFERY
“It really comes down to [Jahmir] Young. I mean he’s a handful. He was getting to the rim. He was getting to the free throw line. You know, we were trying to corral him the best we could. But he’s a crafty guy and he’s really got great scoring instincts. Like I said, he gets to the free throw line. He had 13 free throws. You give him 13 free throws they are going to be hard to beat.”

“We weren’t as active. We did press a little bit more in the first half. But I thought our activity level was definitely better in the first half. It needs to be better in the second half and it wasn’t.”

GAME NOTABLES

• Iowa led 54-44 with 12:09 remaining in the game before Maryland went on a 21-6 run over an eight-minute stretch to take a 65-60 lead.
  • Maryland outscored the Hawkeyes, 34-12, over the final 12:09 to complete the season sweep.
• Junior Payton Sandfort finished with 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting, including three 3-pointers.
  • Sandfort made his first three field goals – all 3-pointers – and first four shots over the first 7:15.
  • He has made three or more 3-pointers in 13 games this season and two or more 3s in 21 contests.
• Graduate Ben Krikke finished with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
  • It is Krikke’s 18th game in double figures this season and the 100th game in double digits in his collegiate career.
• Senior Tony Perkins finished with nine points and eight rebounds. 
  • It snapped a string of 15 consecutive games in double figures.
• Senior Patrick McCaffery scored seven points; he is now 26 points shy of 1,000 for his career.
• Freshman Owen Freeman finished with three blocks, giving him 44 blocks this season – the second most by a freshman in school history.
  • It was Freeman’s ninth game with three or more blocks this season.

UP NEXT
Iowa returns to action Saturday, hosting No. 20/21 Wisconsin at 1:15 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.