The highly anticipated fifth season of the hit television show Stranger Things was released earlier this evening, and Iowa men’s basketball’s offense resembled the Upside Down on this night.
The Hawkeyes shot at just a 40 percent clip from the floor (31 percent from three), but used a dominant defense and just enough offense to defeat Grand Canyon in the championship game of the Acrisure Series on Wednesday, 59-46. The win moves the Hawkeyes to a perfect 7-0 on the season ahead of the start of Big Ten play.
Star point guard Bennett Stirtz had an off-night, collecting just 13 points on 5 of 15 shooting, but Iowa was carried by forward Isaia Howard. The sophomore recorded a team-high 19 points on 7 of 10 shooting, including three triples in the second half to salt the game away.
Whatever shortcomings the Hawkeyes had on offense were made up on the defensive side of the ball. Iowa held Grand Canyon to 40 percent from the field, forcing 19 turnovers in the process.
First Half
Though this game was being played at a neutral site, the Antelopes essentially had the home court advantage, as Phoenix is just a four-hour drive from Palm Springs. Grand Canyon fed off this energy early, and took advantage of several Iowa defensive lapses to jump out to a 13-8 lead early on. The Antelopes didn’t hit a single three-pointer in their win over Utah on Tuesday, but connected on two of their first three attempts due to some of those defensive mistakes.
That’s when Howard entered the party. The sophomore was making an impact on both sides of the floor, and his tip dunk on a missed layup by Tavion Banks, and it helped the Hawkeyes settle in to their defense. Grand Canyon wasn’t able to generate much in the halfcourt, and that was due to some tenacious defense by Iowa.
Head coach Ben McCollum prefers to play a rock fight, and the Hawkeyes played that style to a tee. The Hawkeyes forced nine turnovers in the first half, and they were able to turn those errors into 13 points, which played a large role in the outcome of the first half. Iowa wasn’t very efficient from the field – shooting just 40 percent – but made its living from the charity stripe, going 10/12 in the half.
If there was an efficient Hawkeye in the first 20 minutes, it was probably point guard Kael Combs. The junior was thrust in the starting lineup last week against Chicago State to take the pressure off star point guard Bennett Stirtz, and the decision worked in the first. Combs netted six points in the half on 3 of 4 shooting, including three boards and three assists.
Grand Canyon scored just 13 points over the final 16:27 of the half, allowing Iowa to build a 30-23 halftime lead.
Second Half
The Hawkeyes opened the second half just like they finished the first – with strong defense and timely offense. Cooper Koch buried a triple on Iowa’s second possession of the half, and forward Cam Manyawu responded with an easy layup, and the Antelopes were forced to call a timeout.
Despite the new momentum, the Hawkeyes’ offense came to a screeching halt. Manyawu’s bucket would be the last Iowa field goal for seven minutes until Stirtz connected on one of his trademark midrange jumpers to give the Hawks a little bit of juice.
Every possession after that would be important for both teams, as points were at a premium. Iowa was carried by Stirtz’s ridiculous shooting against Ole Miss, but that wasn’t the case on this night. Without their star carrying the load, the Hawkeyes looked lost, and continued to struggle from the field.
Like he did in the first half, Howard was the one to give Iowa the spark it needed. After the Antelopes cut the Hawkeye lead under 10 points, the sophomore responded with a driving layup to break another lengthy field goal spell. Grand Canyon continued to hang around, but Howard made sure to keep them at bay.
Iowa made just six treys on this night, but three of them came from Howard. The forward isn’t known for producing from the outside – he entered the game with just one three all season – but his three triples in the second half proved to be the difference in this one.
Up next
Iowa will have only six days to recover before kicking off Big Ten play at Michigan State in East Lansing, Michigan on Tuesday, Dec. 2. Tip-off from the Breslin Center is set for 6:00 p.m. CST on Peacock.