Hawkeyes Fall to Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. – The University of Iowa men’s basketball team fell to Wisconsin, 116-85, on Friday night at the Kohl Center. The Hawkeyes drop to 10-4 on the season and 1-2 in Big Ten Conference play.

To start the game, both teams were exchanging buckets. Iowa was able to build a small lead, 19-15, with just over 14 minutes to play in the first half. The Hawkeyes started the game shooting 10-of-14 from the field, including a 4-of-4 start from beyond the arc.

Iowa grabbed its largest lead of the first half, 28-22, with just under nine minutes to play in the opening frame. Junior Josh Dix was a big reason for the early lead for the Hawkeyes, scoring 10 quick points on a perfect 4-of-4 from the field.

Wisconsin would go on a 21-4 run to create an 11-point deficit for Iowa. At the break the Hawkeyes trailed the Badgers, 54-43. Wisconsin shot 20-of-33 (60.6%) from the field and 9-of-13 (69.2%) from three-point range in the first 20 minutes. The Hawkeyes offense also shined in the first half, shooting 19-of-32 (59.4%) from the field and 5-of-12 (41.7%) from deep.

Iowa was led by Dix with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting while graduate student Drew Thelwell added 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the first 20 minutes.

Wisconsin was able to build on its lead early in the second half, pushing the Hawkeye deficit to 20 points in the first few minutes of the half behind a 13-2 run. Iowa struggled offensively to start the second 20 minutes of action, shooting just 2-of-8 from the field to begin the half.

Iowa used a 10-1 run to cut the deficit to 17 with under eight minutes to play, making 5-of-7 field goal attempts over that span. Despite the late push, Wisconsin was able to respond with an offensive push of its own, as the Hawkeyes struggled to get defensive stops.

Iowa was led by Thelwell with 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting, just one point shy of tying his career high. Dix finished with 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting while sophomore Owen Freeman added 14 points. Sophomores Brock Harding and Pryce Sandfort rounded out the Hawkeyes in double digits with 10 points apiece. 

Iowa finished the game shooting 32-of-66 (48.5%) from the field and 9-of-24 (37.5%) from three-point range. The Hawkeyes shot 12-of-18 (66.7%) from the free throw line. Wisconsin was led by John Blackwell, who finished with a game high 32 points.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH FRAN MCCAFFERY
"Our closeouts weren’t nearly what they needed to be, whether we were man or zone. [Wisconsin] does a great job moving the ball. They move the ball side-to-side. They have some really talented drivers, so you have to close off penetration. But they have multiple three-point shooters, as we saw. They have a lot of different guys that can make them, and we were a little slow getting out.

But, we also lost a ton of momentum at the end of the first half. They scored 12 of the last 14 possessions and we got a little sideways with our offense there, which gave them transition opportunities and easier shots. We were trying to score too quickly. When you’re on the road and they are on a run, we have to keep the ball moving a little bit more on offense and make them play defense. We quick shot it and they took advantage.”

“[Drew] was great. He was special on both ends. He was really fighting defensively, attacking the glass, trying to attack their defense. I thought he made really good decisions as well.”