IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa men’s basketball team defeated Northwestern, 80-79, on Tuesday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Josh Dix’s three-pointer as the game clock expired won the game for the Hawkeyes, improving their record to 7-1 on the season and 1-0 in Big Ten play.
Iowa came out strong in the first half, establishing a commanding presence on both ends of the court. The Hawkeyes shot an impressive 65.4% from the field, including 54.5% from beyond the arc. The Hawkeyes opened their biggest lead of the game with just over five minutes to go in the first half, leading Northwestern 36-19.
The Hawkeyes’ defense also played a crucial role, forcing eight turnovers and creating 12 points off those turnovers. Dix led the way for the Hawkeyes in the first half with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Payton Sandfort and Owen Freeman each added 10 points in the first 20 minutes. Freeman was a perfect 4-of-4 from the field including 1-of-1 from three in the first half. The Hawkeyes lead for all but 18 seconds in the first half and led Northwestern, 45-34, at the break.
Northwestern’s offense picked it up quickly in the second half, after ending the first half making six consecutive field goals. The Wildcats used an 8-0 run to cut the Hawkeye lead down to just three with just under 13 minutes remaining. Northwestern would go on to take the lead for the first time in the game with 11:30 to play. The Wildcats went on a 13-1 run while the Hawkeyes didn’t make a field goal for nearly five minutes.
Iowa was able to take the lead back with just under 10 minutes remaining before Northwestern took the lead back a couple minutes later. The Hawkeyes trailed the Wildcats, 78-75 with 20 seconds remaining. Brock Harding drove into the lane, made a layup and got fouled. Harding went on to miss the potential game-tying free throw. The Hawkeyes fouled and Northwestern’s Ty Berry went 1-of-2 from the free throw line, giving the Hawkeyes one last opportunity.
Iowa called a timeout with 0.8 seconds left, trailing by two, to draw up a play. Dix caught Harding’s inbound pass and drilled a three-pointer from 26 feet to give Iowa the win.
The Hawkeyes finished with four players in double digits. Dix led all scorers with 22 points, while Sandfort had 20. Owen Freeman finished with 16 points on an efficient 7-of-9 from the field, while Harding rounded out Iowa’s players in double digits with 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting.
The Wildcats were led by Brooks Barnhizer with 21 points and Ty Perry with 20. Berry knocked down 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. Northwestern finished the game shooting 29-of-60 (48.3) from the field and 8-of-21 (38.1) from deep. The Wildcats were an efficient 13-of-16 (81.3) from the charity stripe.
After its stellar first half shooting, Iowa finished the game shooting 30-of-55 (54.5) from the field and 9-of-23 (39.1) from deep. The Hawkeyes struggled at the free throw line finishing 11-of-19 (57.9).
