Down by nine points heading into the second half, Iowa men’s basketball’s numbers looked worse than than the digits on the scoreboard. The losers of three straight, the Hawkeyes still led the Big Ten in three-point percentage, but at one point in Wednesday night’s battle against Rutgers at Jersey Mike’s Arena, they had missed 14 in a row. But when Hawkeye guard Brock Harding’s attempt on the left wing fell through the net, the cold shooting spell snapped and, eventually, so did the team’s winless season on the road.

With an 84-73 victory over Rutgers, Iowa picked up its away victory of the season after dropping its previous five road matchups, the last four of averaged around a 20-point margin of defeat. Filling in for injured guard Drew Thelwell, Harding scored 13 points and seven assists while junior Josh Dix and Payton Sandfort scored 26 and 20 points, respectively.

‘The way that everybody stepped up tonight, we made plays,” Sandfort told Big Ten Network after the game. “I think you could see the emotion everybody had in that way. That’s a culture win.”

With the win – its first of the Quad 1 variety this season – Iowa improves to 14-10 and 5-8 in the Big Ten as it attempts to stay out of the bottom-three of the standings and make the conference tournament. Rutgers, now 12-13 and 5-9 in conference, saw its top two scorers, future NBA lottery picks Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, combine for 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting. The pair each averaged 19.4 points per game, tied for third in the Big Ten.

“It was a group effort,” Payton Sandfort said. “[Iowa forward] Seydou Traore was physical with Ace right away, and then we bring in [Iowa forward] Carter Kingsbury, and he was physical with him. Carter is one of the most physical guys I’ve played against. He was in his space, and Ace didn’t like that very much. I think it made him uncomfortable and it took him out of rhythm.”

Harding’s made triple launched a 13-3 run that included 10 points from Dix, who finished 11-of-17 from the floor.

Once forward Ladji Dembele reclaimed the Iowa lead with an and-one layup 7:45 remaining, the Hawkeyes never trailed again. Rutgers threatened to make the contest a one-possession game with 52 seconds remaining, but a switch to a zone defense led to a steal from Iowa forward Pryce Sandfort. His older brother would sink two free throws on the other end to put the duel on ice.

“There are times in your career when you’re really proud of your team,” an emotional Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “The way we fought, it’s really impressive.”

Despite not having starting big man Owen Freeman and only two points combined for backup centers Riley Mulvey and Even Brauns, Iowa dominated down low, outscoring Rutgers, 44-28 in the paint.

“We’ve had some setbacks, but so do other teams,” McCaffery continued. “But it’s how you respond. How do you respond to practice? How do you respond to meetings? Try to carry out your game plan, do you stay together, do you stay focused? At the end of the day, that’s all we can ever ask for.”

The Scarlet Knights jumped to a 10-2 run over the opening four minutes, dominating down low with eight points in the paint, six of which arrived via Iowa turnovers. Thirteen points from Sandfort gave the Hawkeyes a three-point lead with 9:35 remaining, but a substitution from Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell swung the contest back in favor of the home team.

Senior Tyson Acuff, a two-time transfer from Duquesne and Eastern Michigan, averaged 4.4 points in 14 minutes per game this season. In Rutgers’ last game against Maryland, the guard only played three minutes. Yet in just two minutes off the bench, Acuff hit three shots from beyond the arc, spearheading a 9-0 Rutgers run that made it a 31-25 game.

Such a performance defined the first half for the Scarlet Knights, who saw potent scoring off the bench in the form of 20 points and a 6-of-10 three-point percentage. With Bailey and Harper whistled for two fouls apiece, such production was key, as Rutgers led by as many as 11 points – following yet another backup triple from Zach Martini – until a layup from Hawkeye Brock Harding cut the lead to 42-39 at the break. Iowa shot 42 percent from the field and 3-of-14 from behind the arc compared to Rutgers’ 52 percent mark from the floor and 8-of-14 mark from distance. Heading into the contest, Rutgers ranked last in the Big Ten in field goal percentage and 14th in three-point percentage.

New Starting Lineup

Without Drew Thelwell in the lineup due to a right ankle injury, the Hawkeyes opted with a new starting five in Piscataway. Guards Brock Harding and Josh Dix joined forwards Payton Sandfort, Seydou Traore, and Ladji Dembele, the tallest man at 6-foot-8. Harding hadn’t started since Iowa’s defeat to Ohio State on Jan. 27 and finished Wednesday’s contest with his most points since Dec. 15 against New Orleans.

“That’s the Brock we all know and love,” Payton Sandfort told reporters postgame. “He was making winning plays, he was doing all the little things, he was getting people open, we was doing it himself. It’s tough to win on the road, and you need great play from your point guard.”

Up Next 

Iowa continues its East Coast trip with a visit to No. 25 Maryland on Feb. 16. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. Central Time on FS1. The Terrapins are 18-6 overall with an 8-5 mark in the Big Ten. Head coach Kevin Willard’s squad ranks best in the Big Ten in point differential, ranking third in points per game and second in opponent points per game. Six-foot-10 first year Derik Queen leads the team with 15 points per game while senior forward Julian Reese chips in 13 points and is third in the conference in rebounds per game.