SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The University of Iowa men’s basketball team defeated Utah, 95-88, on Saturday night at the Sanford Pentagon. The Hawkeyes improve to 9-3 on the season and sit at 1-1 in Big Ten Conference play.
The Hawkeye defense started the game in dominate fashion, holding Utah to just 1-of-12 from the field to start the game, as Iowa quickly built a 12-4 lead. Hot shooting from beyond the arc for Utah got them back into the game, where they took the lead 25-24 with just over eight minutes to play in the first half.
Iowa would respond, taking the lead back with a bucket from senior Payton Sandfort, 30-29, with under six minutes to play in the first half. Utah took the lead back from the Hawkeyes before both teams started exchanging buckets. At the break, Iowa trailed Utah, 40-36.
Sophomore Owen Freeman led the offensive charge for the Hawkeyes in the first 20 minutes with 10 points to go along with five rebounds. Payton Sandfort and graduate Drew Thelwell each added eight points apiece. Sophomore Pryce Sandfort and junior Josh Dix each chipped in with five points in the first half as just five Hawkeyes scored in the first 20 minutes.
The Hawkeyes shot 15-of-35 (42.9%) from the field and 5-of-14 (35.7%) from deep in the first half. Despite their slow start shooting, the Utes finished the first half shooting 17-of-36 (47.2%) from the field and 4-of-11 (36.4%) from deep.
Utah opened the second half on a 7-0 run and would create its biggest lead of the game, 49-38, over Iowa. The Hawkeyes cut the deficit down to four after key buckets from Freeman. Both teams would go on to exchange buckets until the Hawkeyes tied the game at 63-63 with 11 minutes remaining. Iowa would take the lead back, 68-67, with 10 minutes to play marking their first lead since the five-minute mark in the first half.
After trailing shortly with just over six minutes to play, Iowa took the lead back and never lost the lead the rest of the game. Iowa went on an 11-4 run to lead 90-82 with just two minutes to play. Key defensive stops and made free throws down the stretch clinched the victory for Iowa.
Payton Sandfort scored 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting in the second half, while sophomore Brock Harding scored all of his 12 points in the second half. Dix added 10 second-half points on 5-of-6 shooting. The Hawkeyes shot 19-of-29 (65.5%) from the field and 4-of-6 (73.9%) from deep in the second twenty minutes as they outscored Utah 59-48 in the second half.
Payton Sandfort finished with a season-high 24 points to go along with eight rebounds to lead the way for Iowa. Freeman finished with 16 points, while Thelwell and Dix each added 15 points. The Hawkeyes finished the game shooting 34-of-64 (53.1%) from the field and 9-of-20 (45%) from beyond the arc. Iowa shot 18-of-24 (75%) from the charity stripe with all but one free throw coming in the second half.
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH FRAN MCCAFFERY
"We were moving the ball and driving the ball. We settled too much in the first half. Payton said it, he's right. We hit a couple early and then we started settling and then they don’t have to play defense, they don’t get tired, they come down and they want to carve you up. They run good stuff so we kept them on defense, kept moving the ball side to side, driving the ball, screening, back cuts, and that was the difference in the game.”
“[Drew’s energy] is infectious. Everybody else goes with him. Brock’s kind of that way as well. Then we got the veterans with Josh and Payton. Owen was really on his way to a big-time game, I felt bad for him, he got in foul trouble like that. The energy in the building was phenomenal. Drew was right in the middle of that. His defense and drawing six fouls, those are stats that are critical to a team’s ability to win. Get to the bonus, get to the double bonus. We do that by driving the ball and drawing fouls and that’s what we did.”
GAME NOTES
- With the game tied at 75 with 6:59 to play, Iowa outscored Utah, 20-13, en route to a 95-88 victory on Saturday at the Sanford Pentagon.
- The Hawkeyes overcame an 11-point second-half deficit (49-38) with 17:51 to play to tie the game at 63 with 11:02 to play.
- Iowa has overcome second-half deficits in four games this season, also rallying from 11 down at Michigan on Dec. 7.
- Iowa had five players finish in double figures: Payton Sandfort 24, Owen Freeman 16, Josh Dix 15, Drew Thelwell 15, Brock Harding 12
- Payton Sandfort scored a season-high 24 points (16 in second half), making 8-of-14 field goals with two 3-pointers, and had a team-high seven rebounds. He was also 6-of-6 from the free throw stripe.
- It was his team-best fourth 20-point game this season and the 22nd of his career.
- Sandfort has made two or more 3s in 51 career games. (3 or more in 29 games).
- He has made 18 straight free throws dating back to Nov. 22.
- Sandfort moved into 25th place on Iowa’s career scoring list with 1,267 points.
- Freeman finished with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting to go along with three blocks, two assists and one steal.
- He is the only Hawkeye to be in double figures in every game he has played this season.
- He has had three blocks in three straight games (five on the year).
- The Hawkeyes shot better than 50 percent from the field for the second straight game and the sixth time this season.
- Iowa is 6-0 when shooting at least 50 percent from the field.
- Iowa finished with nine 3-point field goals, making 9-of-20 attempts.
- The Hawkeyes have made 8+ 3s in 11 games and 10+ in seven contests.
- Iowa has made 34 3-pointers over its last three games.
- Iowa is 2-1 in neutral site games this season and 3-1 all-time in Sioux Falls.
- Saturday’s win is Iowa’s first victory over Utah in program history.
- Iowa tied a season high with 18 free throws and made 18-of-24 for the game (17-of-23 in the second half).
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes will close out nonconference play on Dec. 30, hosting New Hampshire at 6 p.m. (CT) inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game will be televised on BTN.