Hawkeyes rally past Hoosiers
Carver-Hawkeye Arena turned fourty years old today. There have been some great games and comebacks in those 40 years, but there might not have been one quite like it hosted on Thursday night.
Iowa trailed by as many as 21 points in the first half, and then rallied to take the lead in the middle of the second half held on late for a heart pounding 91-89 victory over Indiana.
The start was a forgettable one for the Hawkeyes as they fell behind by as many as 21 points in the first half. A Miller Koop layup made it 28-7 with 13:32 left in the first half and Iowa looked like they were headed towards their fourth straight loss.
To their credit, the Hawkeyes chipped away at the Hoosiers lead, cutting it to nine, 35-26 after a three pointer by Kris Murray. The junior forward finished with 30 points in the victory. This marks the fourth time this season that Murray has scored 30 or more points.
At that halftime break, Indiana held a 50-40 lead on Iowa, but the Hawkeyes once again kept chipping away at the lead. Another three pointer by Murray pulled Iowa to within eight, 57-49 and that was the start of a 10-0 run by Iowa. Eventually Murray tied the game on a three pointer from the right wing on as assist by Connor McCaffery.
From that point forward the game went back and forth. Iowa went up by four on a Murray free throw, 76-72 with 7:33 to go in the game. But, Indiana rallied once again, regaining the lead at 78-76 on a Tamar Bates putback and it grew to five after Trayce Jackson-Davis scored in the lane with 4:27 left to put Indiana up 82-77.
Jalen Hood-Schifino snatched wild shot from Jackson-Davis with 3:42 left in the game and put it in just before the shot clock expired and the Hoosiers were up six and seemingly in control. Iowa once again rallied. Filip Rebraca tied with a pair of free throws. Then Connor McCaffery put Iowa in front, knocking down a pair from the charity stripe to put Iowa up 86-84 with 2:08 left.
The Hawkeyes would never trail after that point. Murray and Payton Sandfort salted it away making four free throws in the final ten seconds and Iowa celebrated one of the wildest wins in the 40 year history of their home arena.
The Hawkeyes are back in action on Sunday when they travel to Rutgers. Game time is set for 11:00 a.m and will air on the Big Ten Network.
