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The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan
The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

Hawkeyes bounce back, dominate Wisconsin

Adam Hensley, [email protected]
January 23, 2018
The Daily Iowan; Photo by Ben Al
Iowa forward Tyler Cook (5) dunks the ball over Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ (22) during the NCAA men’s basketball game between Iowa and Wisconsin at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018. The Hawkeyes are going into the game with a conference record of 1-7. Iowa went on to defeat Wisconsin 85-67. (Ben Allan Smith/The Daily Iowan)

For the first time in a while, Iowa came out swinging, and it didn’t hold back against Wisconsin.

The Hawkeyes (11-11, 2-7 in Big Ten) took down the Badgers (10-11, 3-5), 85-67, in a much-needed conference win.

Tyler Cook proved to be a man among boys, scoring 17 points and throwing down his usual vicious dunks, and Luka Garza added a double-double (17 points and 16 rebounds).

“I just think we had fun with the game tonight,” Cook said.

Bohannon notched a double-double as well, scoring 13 and dishing out 11 assists.

It was the all-around scoring performance Iowa needed. Isaiah Moss didn’t have his best night shooting, but he scored 15, while Cordell Pemsl scored 11, doing most of his work at the free throw line (7-of-8 from the line).

The Hawkeyes knocked down shots at a 51.7 percent clip, but only hit six 3-pointers. The Black and Gold did most of their work in the paint, scoring 44 points down low. For the most part, the Hawkeyes capitalized on their chances at the free throw stripe, only missing five of their 22 shots.

But right from the get-go, Iowa came out firing on all cylinders, setting the tempo right away.

The Hawkeyes jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead within the game’s first four minutes. From there, Iowa maintained a comfortable lead, answering most of Wisconsin’s scoring.

“When you have a lead and the other team comes – and you know Wisconsin is going to come back, that’s who they are – what happens then?” head coach Fran McCaffery said. “Do you soften defensively? We have done that in some games.”

At one point, however, the Badgers cut the deficit to only 4 points, but the Hawkeyes countered with a quick 5 from themselves.

Moss heaved up a 3-pointer which took a more-than-friendly bounce off the rim and into the net, and then the sophomore attacked the basket with time winding down. Moss’ floater swished in with 2 seconds left, and when the halftime buzzer sounded, Iowa commanded a 37-28 lead.

“It was huge for us,” Moss said. “We knew they were going to go on a run because they’re a good team. We just had to lock in and believe in each other.”

Wisconsin’s 28 points were the fewest first-half points Iowa has given up in conference play this season, and shots continued to miss in the second half, where Iowa led by as many as 22 points.

The Badgers never held any lead on Tuesday.

Ethan Happ, Wisconsin’s post-proficient big man, scored 21 points and snatched 10 rebounds. However, the junior missed six shots, and a few of them came from within a few feet of the basket.

Khalil Iverson added 17 and Charles Thomas scored 10 points off the bench, but it was a rough outing for the rest of the team. Aside from those three, the rest of the seven Badgers who played combined to score 19 points, hitting 20 percent of their shots (6-of-30).

Iowa’s defense held Wisconsin to 40 percent shooting from the field, and 22.2 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. The Badgers made only four 3-pointers, 16 fewer than the Hawkeyes gave up on Jan. 20 in their 87-64 loss to Purdue.

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