Hawkeyes Fall to No. 9 Nebraska in OT

LINCOLN, Neb. – The University of Iowa men’s basketball team fell to No. 9 Nebraska, 84-75, in overtime on Sunday evening inside Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Hawkeyes close the regular season at 20-11 overall and 10-10 in conference play.

Both teams started cold from the field, combining to shoot 2-of-10 to open the game. The Hawkeyes held an early 9-7 advantage as junior Kael Combs scored seven of Iowa’s first nine points. The Huskers responded with a 7-0 run as Iowa endured a nearly three-minute scoring drought before sophomore Isaia Howard ended it by knocking down a pair of free throws.

Nebraska led by six — Iowa’s largest deficit of the half — at the six-minute mark, but a pair of 3-pointers and a trip to the free-throw line cut the Husker lead to one with three minutes remaining. After 20 minutes, Iowa trailed Nebraska, 30-26. Senior Bennett Stirtz and Combs led the way for the Hawkeyes with seven points apiece.

Iowa shot 9-of-22 (40.9 percent) from the field and 4-of-11 (36.4 percent) from 3-point range while going 4-of-7 (57.1 percent) from the free-throw line. After averaging just 6.8 turnovers over its last 10 games, the Hawkeyes committed 11 turnovers in the first 20 minutes.

Nebraska built an 11-point lead with 12 minutes remaining after making four of its first six 3-pointers to start the second half. Iowa’s offense settled in, making five straight field goals, but Nebraska answered with six consecutive makes of its own as the Hawkeyes were unable to cut further into the deficit. After trailing by 10 with five minutes remaining, Combs sparked a late run, scoring five straight points to cut the deficit to one with 18 seconds remaining. Nebraska pushed the lead back to three with a pair of free throws with 15 seconds left, but Combs answered with a 3-pointer with two seconds remaining to tie the game at 70 and send it to overtime.

Redshirt freshman Cooper Koch tied the game in overtime with a 3-pointer to make it 75-75, but Nebraska responded with nine straight points to close the game as the Hawkeyes dropped their regular-season finale.

Combs and Koch led Iowa with 18 points apiece, marking a career high for Combs and tying a career high for Koch. Banks added 12 points and led the team with seven rebounds, while Stirtz rounded out the Hawkeyes in double figures with 11 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals.

The Hawkeyes shot 27-of-56 (48.2 percent) from the field and 11-of-30 (36.7 percent) from 3-point range while going 10-of-15 (66.7 percent) from the free-throw line. Iowa outrebounded Nebraska, 32-29, but committed a season-high 19 turnovers.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH BEN MCCOLLUM
“Congrats to Nebraska. I thought they played a heck of a game and had a great game plan. They were super physical with us and did a great job. I didn’t think we did a great job from an offensive standpoint; we just didn’t take care of the ball like we needed to. I was proud of our effort coming back, but close is not good enough. We need to continue to get better. It’ll be nice to have our backs against the wall in the conference tournament, and we’re excited to move forward.”

GAME NOTES

• The Hawkeyes closed out the regular season with a 84-75 overtime loss at No. 9 Nebraska on Sunday afternoon at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
• Iowa erased an 11-point second-half deficit and a 10-point deficit with five minutes to play before ultimately losing in overtime.
  • The Hawkeyes trailed 64-54 with 5:13 to play before using a 16-6 run to tie the game at 70.
  • Junior Kael Combs scored Iowa’s final eight points of regulation, including a 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds to play to tie the game at 70.
• Nebraska outscored the Hawkeyes, 14-5, in overtime courtesy of two 3-pointers from reserve Cale Jacobsen.
• It was Iowa’s first overtime game of the season and first since facing Nebraska on Jan. 7, 2025, in Iowa City.
• Iowa finishes the regular season with a 20-11 overall and 10-10 Big Ten record, making them the No. 9 seed in next week’s Big Ten Tournament.
• The loss snapped Iowa’s four-game winning streak over the Huskers.
• Iowa is now 1-5 against top 10 ranked opponents this season, including 0-4 on the road.
• The Hawkeyes had four players land in double figures: Cooper Koch (18), Kael Combs (18), Tavion Banks (12), Bennett Stirtz (11)
• Combs netted a career-high 18 points, finishing 7-of-14 from the field and 2-of-5 from 3-point range. His seven field goals and 14 field goal attempts were career bests. He also had five rebounds and three assists.
  • Combs scored seven of Iowa’s first nine points of the game and the team’s final eight points of regulation.
  • It was his first game in double digits since Jan. 14 at Purdue.
• Koch scored in double figures for the second time in three games (10th time this season), making 6-of-13 field goals – all from 3-point range. The six 3-pointers are a career-high.
  • He has made 12 3-point field goals in Iowa’s last three contests and has four games with 3+ 3s this season.
  • His 18 points tied a career high.
• Banks had 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
• Nebraska turned a four-point halftime lead to double figures with a 10-4 run over the first four minutes of half two. Iowa fell behind by as many as 11 points twice in the second half and trailed 64-54 with 5:13 to play.
• Iowa won the rebounding battle, 32-29. It is just the third time this season the team has lost when out-rebounding its opposition (15-3).
• The Hawkeyes made 11 3-pointers – the seventh game with 10+ 3s (5-2 record).
• Iowa committed 19 turnovers in the game – a season high.
• Nebraska shot 50 percent from the field, made 10 3-pointers and had a 10-point advantage at the free throw stripe.
• The Hawkeyes went on a nearly seven-minute field goal drought in the first half, where a three-point lead turned into a five-point deficit.
  • Iowa trailed by four points (30-26) at the break despite committing 10 first-half turnovers.

UP NEXT
Iowa begins postseason play Thursday at the 2026 Big Ten Tournament in Chicago. The Hawkeyes will play the winner of the Maryland/Oregon game at 11 a.m. (CT) at the United Center.