At the buzzer: Indiana 81, Iowa 69

  • 01/21/2021 11:13 pm in

Quick thoughts on an 81-69 win at Iowa:

How it happened: The question leading into Thursday’s matchup against No. 4 Iowa was simple: Could the Hoosiers keep up with the nation’s most potent offense? The Hawkeyes got out of the gate strong with 27 points in the game’s first 10:26. And as Joe Wieskamp and Luka Garza filled the stat sheet, it looked like the Hawkeyes were well on their way to a 50-point half. But Iowa’s offense sputtered in the final nine-plus minutes of the first half, which allowed Indiana to keep within striking distance. Despite a below-average shooting performance (46 eFG%), the Hoosiers trailed just 37-31. A big reason for that was Iowa’s poor 3-point shooting (4-of-13), Indiana only committing five turnovers and a reasonable pace that kept the game mostly in the halfcourt (32 possessions).

Iowa’s offense never found its footing in the second half. And as the Hawkeyes couldn’t score in the halfcourt and the 3s clanked off the rim, Indiana gained confidence on both ends of the floor. The Hoosiers took the lead at 57-55 on an Al Durham Jr. jumper with 6:58 to play. By the under four media timeout, IU was on a 14-1 run and led 67-56. Iowa’s field goal drought in the second half lasted more than 11 minutes as the Hoosiers nabbed their second road win in Big Ten play. Most importantly, it was a win over a top-five team away from home that will provide a significant boost to the NCAA tournament resume.

Standout performer: Despite battling foul trouble for most of the game, Trayce Jackson-Davis finished with a team-high 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Rob Phinisee (18 points), Armaan Franklin (11 points) and Al Durham Jr. (14 points) all finished in double figures as well.

Statistics that stands out: Iowa shot a dismal 9-of-34 from the field in the second half, including just 1-of-10 from behind the 3-point line. Indiana committed just eight turnovers in the win.

Final IU individual statistics:

Final tempo-free statistics:

(Photo credit: IU Athletics)

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