The Iowa Hawkeyes shot a blistering 56% in the first half to build a 24-point lead. They fought off a UCLA comeback attempt but were able to complete the 74-61 victory.
Bennett Stirtz led the way with 27 points on 8/10 shooting and 5 assists, as Ben McCollum had to manage his minutes as he notched his 4th foul with 8:23 remaining. Donovan Dent was as advertised for UCLA, going for 25 points, making 12/19 and getting to the rim at will in the second half amidst their furious comeback attempt.
The Hawks’
offense got absolutely rolling in the first half when Alvaro Folgueiras, who had been spotty against power conference competition, checked in. After a turnover on his first possession, he went on to make 3 three pointers on his first 3 shot attempts to build the lead to 17-7, Iowa.
Bennett Stirtz, who was quiet through the first 10 minutes of the game made his first basket on a 1v2 fast break where he drew an and-1. Including that basket, he scored 14 of Iowa’s 19 next points, which coincided with that 24-point lead.
The Bruins were able to go on an 8-2 run to close the half, as Iowa missed a pair of buckets in the final 10 seconds and Donovan Dent was able to convert an and-one the other way.
UCLA continued to chip into the Hawks lead as they ramped up the defensive pressure on Iowa. A press contributed to two quick baskets as a part of a 10-0 run which cut the Hawkeye lead to 45-34. Throughout that time, Dent scored or assisted on 7 straight UCLA baskets.
Iowa’s offense continued to stagnate, with a Stirtz jumper with 9:23 left in the game was Iowa’s only basket amidst about 12 minutes of gametime. In that timeframe, the lead moved from 45-24 to 55-48. Dent was sensational during this stretch.
Amidst the Bruins’ onslaught, Stirtz picked up his 4th and McCollum was faced with a decision. He pulled him for about 3 minutes before bringing him back in. A Tate Sage layup off a pass from Folgueiras extended the lead back to 9.
UCLA’s first (and only) three-pointer of the half cut the lead to 6 and then Tyler Bilodeau cut it to 4 on a pair of free throws. Iowa got a couple paint baskets from Stirtz & Isaia Howard to get it back to 8.
After the Stirtz basket with 4:43 remaining, McCollum called a TO to get him off the court. Seemed prescient, as Iowa got a stop and then the score but a pair of Dent baskets returned the lead to 4.
From there, it turned into closing time with Iowa making 8/8 free throws and allowing just a pair of buckets. Tavion Banks, who was also in and out with foul trouble, punctuated the game with a transition dunk. After one last stop, Stirtz hit a Clark-range 3 to seal it instead of opting for a shot clock violation.
Incredible first half…gutsy close. That’s Big Ten basketball.
Next up: at Minnesota on 1/6 at 7:00p (Big Ten Network)
