In a span of less than two minutes, Iowa first-year big man Owen Freeman best encapsulated the journey of the Iowa men’s basketball team over the past two weeks. With 1:07 remaining in the first half against Florida A&M on Saturday, Freeman missed a wide-open two-handed jam, his attempt clanging off the back of the rim.
Yet 67 seconds later, the forward made good on his next shot, nailing a buzzer-beating fadeaway jumper in the paint off an inbound pass.
🏀WEN!!!!!@_OwenFreeman x #Hawkeyes
— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) December 16, 2023
That basket would push Iowa’s lead to 23 points, as the Hawkeyes would cruise to an 88-52 victory over the Rattlers at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines to snap their three-game losing streak.
“Coming off a tough stretch, we wanted to come out with a lot of energy,” Hawkeye junior forward Payton Sandfort said after the game. “We felt like that was a big problem in the last couple of games; we got hit first and we’re playing behind the rest of the game.”
The Hawkeyes jumped off to a hot start, scoring on their first offensive possession with a turnaround jumper Sandfort, who would later hit an and-one layup as Iowa jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the opening four minutes. Florida A&M would not score until guard K.J. Parker hit a fadeaway of his own with 16:56 remaining.
Playing in the third-toughest schedule in the nation, the Rattlers hit just two of their opening 12 field goal attempts, cashing on a second-chance jumper from forward Roderick Coffee. Iowa has given up 38 offensive rebounds in its last three games.
Employing the press early, Iowa extended the lead to 12 as Hawkeye guard Dasonte Bowen knocked the ball loose near the free throw line, then was fed by fellow second-year Josh Dix for an acrobatic reverse layup on the other end.
Coming off the bench, Iowa first-year guard Brock Harding became the Hawkeyes’ eighth different scorer when he nailed a three from the right corner. Hailing from Moline, Illinois, Harding then showcased his passing prowess with a no-look assist to forward Ladji Dembele for a layup.
Quick Swish. 🤫@hardingbrock2 x #Hawkeyes
— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) December 16, 2023
Dembele proved to be a factor throughout the stat sheet in the first half, notching seven points, two rebounds, and two steals in eight minutes on the court. Iowa’s lead never dwindled below 20 over the final 6:12 of the half, and led, 43-20, after the opening 20 minutes of action.
“I thought our game plan was to work on our motion offense, which had been a little stagnant,” Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said. “We didn’t move it side-to-side, got more people involved, but it always going to be a function of the defense.”
On the defensive side, the Hawkeyes limited the Rattlers to 9-of-30 shooting from the floor while forcing 11 turnovers in the first half.
The start of the second half mirrored the first, as Iowa scored on the opening possession to fuel a 20-8 run over six minutes to extend its lead to 35. Freeman notched his first career double-double with a putback layup with 13 minutes remaining. Harding, Freeman’s high-school teammate at Moline, would then notch a career-high with 10 points.
“I’ve seen him play for five years now, and every year he’s been taking that next step,” Harding said of Freeman, noting his teammate’s defensive prowess against his Rattler counterpart Shannon Grant, who only scored four points. “This year he’s been really aggressive, not really playing like a freshman. It’s been awesome to watch how much he’s grown. [He] hit an outside shot today.”
Dembele also posted a career-best with nine points off the bench.
The Hawkeyes would eventually double the Rattlers in scoring with less than five minutes remaining, holding the opposition to a 30 percent shooting mark from the floor. Florida A&M would go on a 10-1 run to end the contest, but it wasn’t enough as Iowa cruised to its largest margin of victory this season.