The Iowa men’s basketball team dropped a heartbreaker on the road at Michigan on Saturday, falling to 7-2 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten play. The Hawkeyes had a chance to win the game at the buzzer for the second straight game, but Pryce Sandfort’s three-pointer fell short, and the Wolverines escaped with the victory.
Fourth-year forward Payton Sandfort led Iowa in scoring with 19 points, while third-year guard Josh Dix chipped in 16. Free-throw shooting proved to be a major factor in the defeat, as the Hawkeyes went only 10-of-17 from the charity stripe.
First Half
The game was a disaster for Iowa right from the opening tip. The Hawkeyes couldn’t muster any sort of offense and struggled to defend Michigan’s tall lineup. Iowa went over three minutes without a bucket, and the Wolverines took advantage and jumped out to a 20-6 edge early in the period.
Making matters worse, second-year center Owen Freeman picked up his second foul just minutes into the contest, forcing him to sit for an extended period of the half. But despite all of these setbacks, the Hawkeyes wouldn’t go down quietly.
After watching Iowa’s sloppy play, it seemed like the style of play began to rub off on Michigan. Over a three-minute stretch, the Wolverines committed five turnovers of their own, thanks to some stellar defense from Drew Thelwell on the full-court press. The Hawkeyes weren’t perfect offensively, but they picked it up enough to cut the lead down 30-26 with under four minutes to go in the period.
Thelwell played well on defense, but his offensive abilities really proved to be the difference for Iowa in the first half. The point guard posted 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting in the frame, and the Hawkeyes somehow found themselves trailing by only three at halftime. Forward Pryce Sandfort also played a key role, chipping in 10 points of his own.
Second Half
Iowa ended the first half with the momentum, and they took advantage of it early. After missing much of the first half due to foul trouble, Freeman and second-year point guard Brock Harding chipped in a pair of buckets, including an impressive alley-oop in transition.
But Michigan also picked up the offensive pace, and turned the game into a shootout after that. The Hawkeyes led by three points early in the frame, but a missed layup by Ladji Dembele allowed the Wolverines to can a transition triple and jump out to a five-point lead of their own. Iowa struggled to rebound on the defensive end, allowing plenty of second-chance opportunities for Michigan.
The Wolverines continued their surge, pushing their lead to 11 points with seven minutes to play. But the Hawkeyes had time to answer, and did just that. Freeman pushed the ball inside for an easy two, and Payton Sandfort finally knocked down one from beyond the arc to cut the deficit down to single digits.
Michigan appeared to pull away after that, but a couple of buckets from Harding and a rejuvenated Payton brought Iowa to within three. The Wolverines turned it over on their next possession, and Payton drained a triple in the corner to tie the game, stunning the crowd in Ann Arbor.
ANOTHER PAYTON SANDFORT THREE ‼️ @IowaHoops
This one is all tied up 🤯#B1GMBBall on FS1 📺 pic.twitter.com/mLSlx09pVA
— Big Ten Men’s Basketball (@B1GMBBall) December 7, 2024
On the next play, Michigan’s Roddy Gayle Jr. drove right to the rim and missed a point-blank layup, but the officials ruled that Freeman committed a goaltending foul on the play, giving the Wolverines the lead for good.
Up next
The Hawkeyes will return to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Dec. 12 for a matchup with in-state rival Iowa State, who is 6-1 on the season. The Cyclones have a contest with Jackson State tomorrow evening before their matchup with Iowa, and will likely be ranked in the top-5 of the AP Poll after dispatching No. 5 Marquette on Wednesday.
Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. on FS1.