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The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan
The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

Iowa men’s basketball showcases defense and athleticism in 101-69 win over Robert Morris

Ben McCollum secures his first win as Iowa head coach in a blowout performance
Chris Meglio, Sports Reporter
November 4, 2025

After his first victory as Iowa men’s basketball head coach, Ben McCollum belined to the south basket and soaked in the sea of gold ties and immense energy radiating from the student section. He and his team walked down the sidelines and high-fived all the fans sitting courtside in a sign of appreciation for showing up and showing out. 

“You just got to show them you appreciate them,” McCollum said. “I truly believe they need to be in it with us.”

The fans fed off of the Hawkeyes’ infectious energy on both ends of the floor, and they left satisfied after its team dismantled Robert Morris, 101-69, in the season opener at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Tuesday.

Bennett Stirtz led the way with 19 points and six assists, followed by Tavion Banks’ 17 points. Four other Hawkeyes hit double-figure scoring, and the team logged 21 assists and 11 steals. 

First Half

The Hawkeyes’ first 20 minutes of gameplay was highlighted by swarming defense and ball movement. Its 22-4 run to open the contest led to 49 first half points fueled by 16 made field goals on 13 assists. Stirtz was responsible for 15 of those points and three of those assists. 

The first basket of his Iowa basketball career came off a tough and-one inside, which kick-started a 10-point effort through the first 10 minutes. 

It was a collective effort from the rest of the bunch as five others scored at least five points — Manyawu, Isaia Howard, Tavion Banks, Cooper Koch, and Alvaro Folgueiras. Manyawu, Banks, and Haward were aggressive inside – the trio responsible for six of 12 Robert Morris fouls – while Folgueiras showcased his shooting ability with two catch-and-shoot triples. 

“I would say it connects. It clicks,” Banks said. “We just go over our offense and we just execute our plays. We work on the spacing and try to communicate about who’s cutting and who’s the connectors on our offense. Just we have to know our roles.”

The Colonials were held to 26 points on 11-of-29 shooting and 1-of-11 from deep. 

Second Half

It was a highlight-packed second half for Iowa as they piled it on Robert Morris. With a little over two minutes out of halftime, Manyawu flew for the and-one poster dunk over the outstretched defender and was quickly followed by a Stirtz alley oop dunk off the Kael Combs lob a minute after. 

“It’s been a while,” Stirtz said of his dunk. “Might have been [since] my Division II days.”


Banks joined the high-flying club with a one-handed alley-oop finish  at the 12-minute mark and a back-scratcher dunk off the fastbreak at teh 10-minute mark as the Hawkeyes extended its lead to 76-43. Howard’s fastbreak tomahawk slam with nine minutes pushed the lead to 40, and Iowa cruised its way to its first victory of the season. 

And with that, McCollum’s Iowa head coaching tenure is off to an encouraging start. 

“Obviously, we’re still going to be a work in progress. We’ve got a long ways to go,” McCollum said. “Really happy with our start, our energy out of the gate.”

Up Next

The Hawkeyes will be back at Carver-Hawkeye Arena for its Friday night matchup against Western Illinois. The Leathernecks are coming off an 80-75 road loss to Radford to open its season and will look to rebound from that come Friday in Iowa City.

Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT.

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