Indiana Drops Road Contest at Iowa

Thursday, January 13

Iowa City, Iowa

9:00 PM

Indiana University

12-4,3-3Big Ten

Iowa

12-4,2-3Big Ten

Indiana

Iowa

1/13/2022 11:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Notes Watch | Highlights

By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

IOWA CITY, Iowa – For Mike Woodson, the reality of another road loss hit like a punch to the gut.

"We played a great first half," Indiana's coach told Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer in the aftermath of Thursday night's 83-74 loss at Iowa, "and an awful second half.

"We have to put two halves together to win on the road."

The clock ticked toward midnight at Carver-Hawkeye Arena and Indiana's unwanted road show returned -- too many turnovers (23), not enough block-outs (Iowa won the rebound battle 35-31), mediocre free-throw shooting (61.9 percent).

The turnovers resulted in 34 Iowa points and negated Indiana's 50.9-percent shooting.

"Turnovers, rebounding and free throws are the three areas you have to be great at to win on the road," Woodson told Fischer during the post-game radio show, "and we struck out on all three."

As second-half frustration grew, mistakes followed. An 11-point first-half lead became a 10-point second-half deficit.

Iowa, the Big Ten's best free throw shooting team, closed it out.

IU -- 0-4 on the road -- had its three-game winning streak against Iowa snapped. It is 12-4 overall, 3-3 in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes are 12-4 and 2-3.

"It's the little things we have to get better," Woodson told Fischer. "I have to help them get better on the road, win tight game and make them comfortable in terms of bringing it home."

IU's Big Ten-leading defense met Iowa's Big Ten-leading offense – and in the first half, offense won.

The Hoosiers had runs of 8-0, 9-0 and 11-0 to build a 48-41 halftime lead. The Hawkeyes, even with forward Keegan Murray, the nation's leading scorer at nearly 25 points a game, couldn't keep up.

With Thompson bearing the biggest defensive burden, IU held Murray to just six first-half points.

The Hoosiers seemed to have all the momentum.

Then came turnovers, Iowa offensive rebounding and Kris Murray, Keegan's brother. He finished with a career-high 29 points. Keegan had 12 points.

Indiana was led by Trayce Jackson-Davis' 18 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks. Race Thompson had 13 points. Parker Stewart finished with 11 points.

IU seemed to have gotten its earlier turnover problems under control. It had a total of 21 turnovers combined in its last three games. In crunch time in the last two games, its guards had eight assists and zero turnovers.

But against Iowa's pressure zone, the Hoosiers wilted. Guards Rob Phinisee and Xavier Johnson combined for eight turnovers.

"We know the Iowa zone is what they do," Woodson told Fischer. "We didn't handle it. Rob and X didn't handle it well at all. They had eight turnovers between the two of them.

"We can't have that kind of play out front. We have to get better in that area."

IU was out-rebounded for just the second time all season.

"We have gone through stretches where we have really been good on the boards," Woodson told Fischer. "When (Iowa) made the run in the second half, there was a two-minute stretch where we couldn't get a rebound. They kept getting offensive rebounds until they either drew a foul or put it back in."

At the start, IU pushed to a 9-4 lead with Thompson getting four of those points. Iowa pushed back for a 9-9 tie.

The Hoosiers continued to flex inside muscle. Jackson-Davis scored four straight points, including a dunk off a Stewart pass.

Iowa took a 16-15 lead on a Jordan Bohannon three-pointer. IU responded with Miller Kopp's second three-pointer. Jordan Geronimo hit one. Jackson-Davis scored again. The Hoosiers led 23-16 with 12 minutes left in the half.

Three straight IU turnovers followed. The Hawkeyes capitalized with 12 straight points for a 28-23 lead.

Trey Galloway ended that run with two-point and three-point baskets. Thompson followed with a dunk. Tamar Bates added a steal and dunk. The Hoosiers led 32-28.

A pair of free throws from Johnson and Kopp, and a Thompson dunk off an alley-oop pass from Jackson-Davis highlighted a surge to a 43-32 lead.

The Hoosiers ended the half ahead 48-41. Jackson-Davis and Thompson combined for 21 points (on 9-for-11 shooting) and eight rebounds.

Things got feisty as the teams headed for the locker rooms, which seemed to inspire the Hawkeyes.

Iowa rallied to within a point early in the second half. Stewart countered with a three-pointer. The Hawkeyes again got within a point. Johnson countered with a layup.

Still, a tone was set.

After eight minutes, IU had seven second-half turnovers with just six field goal attempts. Iowa had one turnover and 17 shots.

Two more IU turnovers helped Iowa take a 61-57 lead.

Stewart's three-pointer ended the Iowa run, but not its momentum. It built a five-point lead. Then six. Then 10.

Ferocious IU defense forced an Iowa shot-clock violation (without either Murray touching the ball) that left Fran McCaffery pounding a chair in frustration.

The Hoosiers closed within six with time for a dramatic rally.

The rally never came.

"When we cut the lead to six," Woodson told Fischer, "we had an opportunity twice to score and came up empty. That was the difference.
"If we make a play or two there, we're right there. We still had time."

IU stays on the road with a trip to Nebraska on Monday. The Hoosiers won the first meeting at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in December, 68-55.

"They'll be ready for us," Woodson said. "We have to go there and commit ourselves for 40 minutes."