No. 19 Hawkeyes Fall at Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS – The 19th-ranked University of Iowa men’s basketball team fell to Minnesota, 70-67, on Tuesday night at Williams Arena. The Hawkeyes move to 12-3 on the season and 2-2 in conference play.

After opening the game 1-of-9 from the field and falling behind, 12-3, Iowa answered by hitting eight of its next 12 shots to take a 20-17 lead, forcing a Minnesota timeout. The Hawkeyes then went cold from the floor, as the Golden Gophers closed the half with a run to take a 31-24 advantage at the break.

Junior Kael Combs led Iowa in the first half with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting. The Hawkeyes shot 11-of-29 (37.9 percent) from the field and 2-of-9 (22.2 percent) from 3-point range in the opening 20 minutes. Iowa didn’t attempt a free throw in the first half.

After trailing by as many as 12, a 3-pointer from senior Tavion Banks cut the Golden Gophers’ lead to five. Minnesota followed by creating the biggest lead of the game, 58-44, with under seven minutes remaining.

Iowa used a 20-5 run to storm back and take its first lead since the seven-minute mark of the first half. Minnesota then rattled off five straight points to take a four-point lead before a 3-pointer from senior Bennett Stirtz cut the lead to one with 16 seconds remaining. A pair of free throws pushed Minnesota’s lead back to three. The Hawkeyes had three potential game-tying 3-point field goals in the final seconds but were unable to get one to fall.

Stirtz paced Iowa with 21 points, scoring all his points in the final 20 minutes. Combs netted a career-high 14 points, while sophomore Isaia Howard finished with 10 points to go along with six rebounds and a pair of assists.

The Hawkeyes shot 25-of-63 (39.7 percent) from the field and 7-of-26 (26.9 percent) from beyond the arc. After not attempting a free throw in the first half, the Hawkeyes shot 10-of-13 (76.9 percent) from the charity stripe in the final 20 minutes. Iowa outrebounded Minnesota, 39-28.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH BEN MCCOLLUM
“I didn’t think that we showed up ready to play. Once we actually decided we wanted to compete, and I thought [Minnesota] had a lot to do with that though. It wasn’t just our ineptitude. I thought that [Minnesota] asserted themselves from a physical perspective.

In the second half we started to go. We have  to find a way to get to the free throw line. I don’t know why we don’t get there, but we put people there a lot and I need to do a better job coaching to that. I thought we turned it over a little too much, but we just didn’t play our best basketball, and that’s disappointing, but [Minnesota] had a lot to do with that though.”

GAME NOTES

• The Hawkeyes had their four-game winning streak snapped, falling 70-67 at Minnesota on Tuesday night inside Williams Arena.
• Iowa rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit (58-44), using a 20-5 run to take a 64-63 lead with 1:14 to play. The Gophers then reeled off five straight points in an eventual three-point win.
• The Hawkeyes had three potential game-tying 3-point field goal attempts in the final 11 seconds.
• The Gophers’ win also ended Iowa’s three-game winning streak in Minneapolis.
• Iowa had three players land in double figures: Bennett Stirtz (21), Kael Combs (14), Isaia Howard (10)
  • Stirtz scored all 21 of his points in the second half. It was his third straight 20-point game and his seventh 20-point game of the season. 
    • He picked up his second foul at the 14:24 mark in the first half and played only nine minutes in the first half.
    • Stirtz became the first Hawkeye to score 20+ points in a half since Payton Sandfort (20) vs. Washington (2/22/25).
  • Combs finished with a career high 14 points, tying a career-high with six field goals. 
  • Howard landed in double figures for the second straight contest.
• The Hawkeyes suffered just their second loss of the season when winning the rebounding battle. Iowa outrebounded the Gophers, 39-28.
• Iowa endured a nearly six-minute scoring drought in the first half, falling behind 12-3 at the 13:56 mark. The team made just one of its first nine shots to open the game.
• The Hawkeyes used a 17-3 run over a 6+ minute stretch to gain a 20-16 lead with 6:23 left.  After starting the game, Iowa made eight of its next 12 field goals.
• Minnesota countered with a 12-0 and 15-4 spurt to close out the half to take a 31-24 lead into the locker room.

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes return to action Sunday, hosting No. 16 Illinois on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.  Tickets are available at hawkeyesports.com.