Summary, Reaction: Hawkeyes Top Utah | basketball

BOX score

Iowa had one last chance at a non-conference resume builder Saturday night in Sioux Falls. The Hawkeyes took advantage and defeated Utah 95-88 at the Sanford Pentagon.

Payton Sandfort put together one of his best games of the season with the win. The senior captain led five Hawkeyes in scoring in double figures with 24 points. He was joined by Owen Freeman (16), Josh Dix (15), Drew Thelwell (15) and Brock Harding (12).

Iowa’s best non-conference win to date was a 76-66 decision against Washington State (No. 78 in the NET ranking). The Utes (8-3) entered Saturday’s game ranked 59th. The Hawkeyes lost in nonleague action to Iowa State (5) and Utah State (42).

With Iowa (9-3) ranked 56th, a win against Utah, a first-time member of the Big 12, could be an advantage for Sunday’s tournament selection. The Hawkeyes complete their non-conference game on December 30 against New Hampshire (355).

Things weren’t looking good for the Hawkeyes at the start of the second half. After three minutes, Utah led 52-42. The Utes scored from inside and out.

“Their shooters hit. We had to give them respect and it opened up the middle,” Sandfort said during a postgame interview with Hawkeye Radio Network. “They had a great game plan, but we really came together. We have recovered. We were physical on the track.”

Fueled by Sandfort, Iowa was able to erase its deficit despite Freeman having to sit out four fouls. A Harding trey put the Hawkeyes ahead by a point midway through the second half, their first lead since six minutes before halftime.

The teams stayed within striking distance of each other until Iowa created some space in the final four minutes. Back-to-back triples from Dix ​​and Harding, followed by a Dix layup, gave the Hawkeyes a 90-80 lead with 2:15 left. From then on, they had at least a two-possession lead.

“The key was we started running the ball,” Hawkeye coach Fran McCaffery said during his postgame radio interview. “We wanted to do it from the start. In the first half we were lucky to get a little three-pointer…in the second half we made them play D.”

Iowa’s trio of Sandfort, Dix and Freeman shot a combined 22 of 35 from the floor with 17 rebounds and seven assists. Pryce Sandfort and Ladji Dembele provided important substitute minutes in the win.

“Everyone who played did their part,” McCaffery said.

The Hawkeyes scored the first seven points of the game and led by that margin halfway through the first half. From there, Utah found its offense and rallied to take a 40-36 halftime lead. The Utes had a 21-13 rebounding advantage in the first 20 minutes.

As might be expected given its geography, Iowa enjoyed a home-court advantage in the Pentagon. Chants of “Let’s Go Hawks” could be heard throughout the game, reaching a crescendo as the game progressed.