The Iowa men’s basketball team dropped a difficult 68-57 affair on the road against the Northwestern Wildcats on Friday evening. The Hawkeyes fall to 15-14 overall and 6-12 in Big Ten play with the loss, and now is in serious danger of missing out on the Big Ten Tournament.
If the season were to end tonight, Iowa would in fact be on the outside looking in, as they currently sit at 16th place in the conference standings due to lost tie-breakers with USC and Minnesota.
Fifth-year point guard Drew Thelwell had a terrific game despite the loss, netting 14 points and three assists on 5-of-7 shooting. Third-year guard Josh Dix followed with 10 points, four rebounds, and two assists.
Iowa began the game slowly out of the gates, connecting on only two of its first seven shot attempts. Northwestern also came out sluggish, but the Wildcats held a 6-4 lead at the first media timeout thanks to some strong action inside the paint.
The Northwestern lead blossomed to 10, but Thelwell seemed to ignite the Hawkeye offense with a pair of triples on the left wing. Thelwell missed Tuesday’s game against Illinois do to a lingering ankle injury, but looked like his old self at an early juncture where Iowa desperately needed a spark.
But the boost of energy was only a temporary fix. The Wildcats never allowed the Hawkeyes to get into their half-court offense over the course of the next frame, often forcing Iowa into uncomfortable late shot clock situations that led to poor shot selections and turnovers.
Just when it seemed like the Hawkeyes could get run out of the gym, they responded with a stretch of great basketball to close the half. Second-year point guard Brock Harding orchestrated the offense with his passing skills, allowing wide-open shot attempts for Iowa’s shooters.
This newfound boost of momentum trimmed the Northwestern lead down to just 30-26 at the break, setting the stage for an exciting second half.
Second Half
It was a back-and-forth affair to begin the half, but a 6-0 Wildcats run pulled the game in their grasp. Like the first period, the Hawkeyes struggled to generate consistent half-court offense, and their poor defense allowed Northwestern to get plenty of wide-open triples and build an eight-point advantage.
Fifth-year forward Even Brauns quickly shifted the tide back to Iowa with a left-handed slam, resulting in a loud roar from the pro-Hawkeye crowd at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Two possessions later, Brauns completed an impressive three-point play to trim the Northwestern lead down to five.
The Hawkeyes were always in the Wildcats’ rearview mirror, but Northwestern always seemed to have the answer, and maintained a cushy 55-48 edge with 4:08 left in the game. Wildcats coach Chris Collins called a timeout and set up a pretty out-of-bounds play for forward Nick Martinelli, the Big Ten’s leading scorer.
Martinelli converted inside, increasing the Northwestern lead to nine. Iowa never got within striking distance after that.
Once the final buzzer sounded, the Wildcats escaped with a crucial victory to improve their Big Ten Tournament hopes, while the Hawkeyes were left with another dismal defeat.
Up next
The Hawkeyes have nearly a week off before returning to action on March 6 for their home finale against No. 8 Michigan State. The Spartans boast an impressive 23-5 overall record and currently occupy first place in the Big Ten standings with a 14-3 league mark. Guard Jaden Akins leads the squad with 12.7 points per game.
Tip off is set for 7:00 p.m. on Fox Sports 1.