Hawkeyes Top Washington, 84-74

SEATTLE, Wash. – The University of Iowa men’s basketball team defeated Washington, 84-74, on Wednesday night at Alaska Airlines Arena to win its fifth straight game. The Hawkeyes improved to 17-5 on the season and 7-4 in conference play.

Washington built an early 18-10 advantage before the Hawkeyes responded with a 7-0 run to retake a 31-28 lead with just under six minutes remaining in the half. Both teams caught fire from the field as the two teams combined to make 17 consecutive field goals as Iowa held a 40-39 edge with just under three minutes remaining in the opening half.

The Huskies would then close the half on a 9-1 run as Iowa trailed Washington, 48-41, after 20 minutes. Washington made 11-of-12 field goal attempts to end the half, missing a shot at the buzzer.

Junior Alvaro Folgueiras paced Iowa with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field. Senior Bennett Stirtz added nine points and four assists, shooting 4-of-7 from the field. The Hawkeyes shot 17-of-28 (60.7 percent) from the field and 3-of-9 from the 3-point line. Iowa converted 4-of-5 shots from the free throw line in the opening 20 minutes.

Iowa quickly erased its seven-point halftime deficit, tying the game, 54-54, with just under 16 minutes remaining in the half. The Hawkeyes would go on to take a 58-56 lead shortly after. Iowa built on its lead behind a 9-0 run, forcing a Washington timeout as the Hawkeyes led, 63-56, with 13 minutes remaining.

Washington cut Iowa’s lead to one, before a 3-pointer and a dunk from Stirtz extended Iowa’s advantage to eight, forcing another Washington timeout. The Hawkeyes protected their lead the rest of the game, leading by as many as 13, as Iowa secured an 84-74 victory.

Stirtz led Iowa with 22 points, five assists, and a steal, shooting 8-of-13 from the field and 4-of-8 from 3-point range. Folgueiras added 16 points while senior Tavion Banks and redshirt freshman Cooper Koch added 11 points apiece.

The Hawkeyes shot 31-of-52 (59.6 percent) from the field and 9-of-19 (47.4 percent) from beyond the arc. The Hawkeyes forced 12 Washington turnovers converting them into 22 points, while Iowa committed a season-low four turnovers. The Iowa bench outscored Washington’s bench, 30-11.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH BEN MCCOLLUM
“I thought we picked up the defense. I didn’t think I had a great game plan, going in I thought it was good. We kind of adjusted our ball screen coverage a little bit and obviously that didn’t work very well. We made some adjustments at halftime; I thought we gave more effort after halftime too.

Does it matter you’re on the road that long and there’s some concentration things? Yeah, a little bit. Our offense was so good. I thought our offense was really dialed in, really tuned in. Defensively, we just weren’t our best. It’s kind of the road in the Big Ten. [Washington] is a really talented team, I mean they are massive. It’s a good win and certainly ready to go home.”

GAME NOTES

• The Hawkeyes rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit to win their fifth straight game, downing Washington, 84-74, on Wednesday night at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle.  Iowa outscored the Huskies, 43-26, in the second half.
• The victory is Iowa’s 17th win of the season (seventh in Big Ten play), matching the team’s 2024-25 win totals in both categories.
• The win is Iowa’s second Quad 1 victory of the season, and it is the team’s seventh Quad 1/2 win.
• Iowa has won three straight Big Ten road games for the first time since the 2021-22 season (at Maryland, at Ohio State, at Nebraska).
• It was the team’s second victory of the season when trailing at the break.
• Iowa’s 17-5 record is the team’s best start through 22 games since the 2018-19 season.
• The Hawkeyes had four players land in double figures: Bennett Stirtz (22), Alvaro Folgueiras (16), Tavion Banks (11), Cooper Koch (11)
• Stirtz recorded his fifth consecutive 20-point game, going 8-of-13 from the floor and 4-of-8 from 3-point range.  He also had five assists and one steal in 40 minutes. 
  • It is his team-leading 12th 20-point game this season and his 32nd over the past two seasons.  It is the second time in his career he has scored 20+ in five straight games.
  • Stirtz is the first Hawkeye since Tony Perkins (1/24/24-2/2/24) to score 20+ points in five straight contests.
  • It is the sixth game Stirtz has made four or more 3-pointers and his 14th game with at least five assists.
  • It is the eighth time this season Stirtz has played all 40 minutes.
• Folgueiras finished with 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting with 12 coming in the first half. 
  • Iowa is 11-0 when Folgueiras scores in double figures.
• Koch scored all 11 points in the second half to land in double figures for the second straight game and for the seventh time this season. He was 4-of-7 from the floor with two 3-pointers.
• The Hawkeyes erased the seven-point halftime deficit by opening the second half on a 13-4 run to even the game at 54. 
  • Over the first seven minutes of the second half, Iowa went on a 22-6 run to open a 63-56 lead. 
  • The Hawkeyes held Washington without a field goal for a 7 1/2-minute stretch. 
• After giving up 48 points in the first half on 76.9 percent (20-of-26) shooting and 75 percent from 3-point range (6-of-8), Iowa held Washington to 26 second-half points on 36 percent shooting (12.5 percent from 3).   
• The Hawkeyes held Washington to 74 points – four below its season average.  
  • Every Iowa opponent has been held below its season scoring average this season.
  • The Hawkeyes are one of two teams nationally to hold their opponents below their season scoring average in every game.
• Iowa forced 12 Washington turnovers, turning the miscues into 22 points. 
  • The Hawkeyes had a season-low four turnovers.
• The Huskies finished with 15 fastbreak points – a high for an Iowa opponent – and outrebounded the Hawkeyes, 28-19.
• Iowa shot 59.6 percent from the field (31-of-52) and 47.4 percent (9-of-19) from 3-point range.  
  • The team shot 59.3 percent (64-of-108) during the two games in the Pacific Northwest.
• The Hawkeyes are 13-0 this season when attempting more free throws than their opponent (Iowa had 21 attempts; UW had 11).
• Iowa is 15-0 this season when leading the game at the 10-minute mark.
• Senior Tavion Banks went 1-of-2 from the free throw line with 29 seconds remaining in the first half, snapping his string of 30 consecutive makes.
• Washington used an 11-0 run over a 3-minute stretch to build an 18-10 lead.  The Huskies held Iowa scoreless for more than four minutes. 
  • The Hawkeyes followed with a 21-10 spurt to take a 31-28 lead, but Washington made 11 of its final 12 field goals of the first half to take a 48-41 lead into the locker room.
  • The 48 points are tied for the most points Iowa has allowed in a half this season. 

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes return home Sunday to host Northwestern. Game time is set for 2 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.  Tickets are available at the Iowa Athletics Ticket Office.