Rapid Recap: No. 8 Hawkeyes fall to No. 7 Buckeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena
Iowa loses to a ranked opponent for the second time in three games.
February 4, 2021
The No. 8 Iowa men’s basketball team lost for the second time in three games on Thursday, falling to No. 7 Ohio State, 89-85, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The Buckeyes (15-4 overall, 9-4 Big Ten) take an 82-81 all-time lead in the series. The Hawkeyes (13-5, 7-4) failed to sting together back-to-back wins after defeating Michigan State at home on Tuesday. This is Iowa’s third loss in its last four games.
Iowa led by 11 points midway through the second half, but could not close out the game.
Ohio State led 10-5 at the first media timeout of the game with 15:23 remaining in the first half. To that point, Iowa center Luka Garza, who was presented with a ball before the game for scoring his 2,000th career point as a Hawkeye on Tuesday, had not attempted a shot.
After checking in off the bench, Iowa forward Jack Nunge hit a 3-pointer to cap a 10-0 Iowa run and put the Hawkeyes on top 22-20 midway through the first half. It was Iowa’s first lead since the 17-minute mark of the first half, but it didn’t last long.
The Buckeyes drained a 3-pointer on their next possession. The team’s traded baskets throughout the rest of the half, including a poster dunk from Iowa’s Patrick McCaffery.
In the standout sequence from the first half, McCaffery turned the ball over on the offensive end, then forced a steal on the defensive end and went coast-to-coast for the slam.
The Hawkeyes led 45-42 at halftime and extended their lead right before the break.
An errant pass by Jordan Bohannon was corralled by Connor McCaffery, who tipped the ball back in to Nunge, who found Garza wide open under the basket for a layup in the final seconds of the second half.
Iowa controlled the early portion of the second half. Just over five minutes into the game’s final 20 minutes, the Hawkeyes led by eleven points. The Buckeyes went five minutes and 40 seconds without making a field goal, which contributed to the Hawkeye lead. Then Ohio State nailed shots from beyond the arc on back-to-back possessions, the second coming at 13:18 mark, to get back into the game.
Ohio State took a one-point lead with 10 minutes and 12 seconds left to play.
Iowa would never lead again.
The Hawkeyes had the ball down four with 17 seconds left after a Buckeye free throw, but failed to make a shot despite two attempts.
Iowa returns to the court on Sunday in Bloomington against Indiana, one of the four teams it has lost to this season.
Fredrick out, Murray in
For the second time in three games, starting Iowa guard C.J. Fredrick did not play. The redshirt sophomore missed Thursday’s game with a lower leg injury, the same injury that forced him to miss Iowa’s game against Illinois.
Murray filled in for Fredrick and made his second career start. The freshman finished with five points on 2-of-8 shooting, and also added six rebounds.
Balanced Hawkeye scoring attack
Four Iowa players scored in double figures against Ohio State.
Bohannon and Nunge led the way with 18 points, followed by Wieskamp with 17 and Garza with 16. Three Hawkeyes made four 3-pointers (Bohannon, Wieskamp, and Nunge). Wieskamp also notched a double-double with 10 rebounds.
Ohio State hot from beyond the arc
The Buckeyes were hitting 34 percent of their shots from beyond the arc heading into Thursday. But they hit 44 percent of their 3-pointers against the Hawkeyes. Both teams finished 14-of-32 from 3-point range.
