To his knowledge, Riley Mulvey has never made a reverse layup in his Iowa men’s basketball career, only connecting on them a “couple of times” during practices.
But those few converted attempts finally transferred over to a live game during Iowa’s 85-79 home victory over the Washington Huskies on Saturday afternoon. Leading 72-68 with roughly two minutes to play, third-year forward Josh Dix found Mulvey wide-open underneath the basket after the defense swarmed around him, allowing the senior center to feather the ball off the glass for a huge two.
It might not have been classified as the ‘dagger’ bucket, but the closest Washington got to after that was three points, and the Hawkeyes escaped with a much-needed triumph after previously losing eight of their last 10 games. Mulvey finished his day with a nine points, his highest total in a Big Ten game, one rebound, and one steal.
“Riley was spectacular, not only in terms of scoring the ball, but he also moves it [the ball] and screens,” Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said after the game.
While his stellar layup helped push Iowa over the finish line, Mulvey’s day will likely be remembered for his involvement during one of the contest’s most exciting and wild plays. Leading 42-38, Huskies center Franck Kepnang snatched an outlet pass off an offensive rebound. He had one goal on his mind – a thunderous slam dunk – but Mulvey was able to get over in time and take a crucial charge. Kepnang and the Washington bench argued for a foul on Mulvey, but the officials called an offensive foul.
An almost POSTER for the Huskies!
Should this have counted? pic.twitter.com/IiyEa3Jy2h
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 22, 2025
“All I saw was somebody who was not going to do anything besides go to the basket and try to dunk it, so I just stood right in the way and took a charge,” Mulvey said.
Immediately after bouncing to his feet, Mulvey couldn’t help but hype up the energetic crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, a crowd that will likely rank as one of season’s largest.
“We had a great crowd tonight,” Mulvey said. “Thanks to really everybody who came out, because I think I don’t know if we get this one without the crowd’s energy.”
Fourth-year forward Payton Sandfort wasn’t surprised with Mulvey’s willingness to put his body in harm’s way, saying that play was one of the many plays that makes him a “good teammate.”
“He’s got a shirt that he wears, and it says ‘it’s just Riley doing Riley things,'” Sandfort said. “And I think that’s what that was.”
While Mulvey continued to do “Riley things” throughout the rest of the game, fellow fourth-year Carter Kingsbury was putting together one of his best games in an Iowa uniform. Kingsbury, who entered his Hawkeye career as a preferred walk-on, tallied a career-high 29 minutes of action, a number that quadruples his season average of 3.9 minutes per game.
“They [the coaches] always tell me to stay ready at all times,” Kingsbury said. “Every game you’re just kind of waiting to see what moment and how big we will all play.”
Kingsbury was indeed ready for the opportunity, collecting three points, one assist, and two blocks in the win. While he didn’t light up the scoresheet, his one three-pointer near the end of the first half was part of an 8-0 Iowa run that seemed to sway the tide in favor of the home team.
“We knew if we can’t stops, we could run them,” Kingsbury said. “I think getting the first rebound throughout that stretch we could run. That’s our best offense.”
Mulvey and Kingsbury both entered their college careers together in the 2021 class alongside Sandfort. Though they haven’t spent much time on the court together during their tenures, they have stayed loyal to the program and remain committed to close out their careers on a high note.
“Just being able to carve out our own role and earn every bit, earn every minute of it, and then earn the chance to get the minutes and then on the court, earn every minute that we are compete in, every minute that we’ve earned,” Mulvey said.
“God’s timing is always perfect,” Kingsbury added. “So just to stay patient, always stay prepared, because you know you never know what it’s going to be. We’re both glad we could contribute.”