Iowa mens’ basketball’s losing streak was extended to three Wednesday night after its 79-72 road loss to No. 5 Purdue. The Hawkeyes were never out of the game as it held a lead for majority of the game, but it slipped away in the later part of the second half.

Bennett Stirtz led the pack once again with 19 points on 5-of-6 shooting inside the arc. Kael Combs was rolling with 16 points and five rebounds, and Cam Manyawu logged 13 points and three steals.

First half

Tavion Banks, who was sick in the loss against Illinois where he put up a team-high 16 points, knocked down two triples in the first two Iowa possessions for a 6-2 lead in the first minute of the game. And as Purdue began to make an offensive run as it typically does, contributions from Kael Combs, Cooper Koch, and Alvaro Folguieras kept the Hawkeyes in control 10 minutes in, 21-16.

The Boilermakers responded with an 8-2 run to take the 24-23 lead, and the two opponents continued to trade buckets for the rest of a sluggish first half for both teams. Bennett Stirtz has had first half struggles through the last three games, and he first got on the board with a triple at the five-minute mark, followed by a mid-range pull-up jumper shortly after. Kael Combs’ late three gave Iowa the 34-31 advantage heading into the halftime break.

Seven of the eight Hawkeyes to play in the first half made at least one shot, and five Hawkeyes made at least one triple. Combs led the pack with 10 first half points, followed by Banks’ six points – all scored in the first minute of the game. And despite Purdue’s outstanding size, the Boilermakers slightly won the rebounding margin, 16-12, through the first 20 minutes.

Second half

After starting out slow in the first 3:30 with just one made basket, the Hawkeyes compiled a 10-0 run with multiple fast break buckets from Cam Manyawu to jump to a 48-39 advantage at the 15-minute mark. And as the Iowa offense stonewalled for the next three minutes, Purdue got rolling with three-straight scoring possessions to narrow its deficit to three points – before Alvaro Folgeuiras’ driving layup broke the dry streak.

A three-minute stretch featuring five Iowa turnovers and two defensive fouls allowed the Boilermakers to not only come back and take the lead, but woke up the crowd inside Mackey Arena. Stirtz, being the elite guard that he is, quieted the crowd with an and-one of his own and a triple over All-American guard Braden Smith to take a 58-57 lead with eight minutes to go.

The tradeoff between Stirtz and Smith was the start of Purdue’s eight-straight made shots that gave it a late five-point lead with three minutes left. But Iowa refused to go out easy, with a deep banker three by Banks to keep the score within two.

But it ultimately wasn’t enough as Banks fouled out, multiple threes were missed, and the Boilermakers handed Ben McCollum and Iowa its third-straight loss – the first such losing streak for Ben McCollum in years.

Up next

The Hawkeyes will be in must-win mode on Saturday, January 17, when it takes on Indiana in Bloomington. The Hooisers are on a two game losing streak, both losses being to ranked opponents in No. 10 Nebraska and No. 12 Michigan State, and have four guys averaging double-digit points, including 20.2 points per game from guard Lamar Wilkerson.