Recap: Iowa Basketball Stays Above .500 With Impressive Win

Iowa basketball improved to 12-10 on the year with an 85-72 win over Ohio State

After Iowa basketball limped to the finish line against Illinois on Wednesday night, Fran McCaffery chose to rest Peter Jok because of an injured back. Considering Iowa entered the game on a three game losing streak, there was definitely concern about how they would play without the Big Ten’s leading scorer.

The Hawkeyes, behind a new starting lineup that featured Nicholas Baer and Ahmad Wagner, picked up the slack to earn their fourth win in conference play, beating Ohio State 85-72.

The offense started in a slump again as Iowa didn’t score their first points until 2:38 into the game. Although, their energy on both sides of the ball forced Ohio State into a lot of tough shots and held them to just two points through the first 4:20.

Iowa’s defensive intensity continued throughout the entire game. Ohio State only shot 42.9 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from three on Saturday night. It led to Iowa taking a 40-29 lead into halftime.

Brady Ellingson had a huge first half for Iowa with 11 points at halftime. He finished with a game-high 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and 5-of-7 shooting from three. It’s the first time Ellingson has made more than two shots in a game since the Big Ten opener against Purdue.

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Ellingson wasn’t the only beneficiary from Jok’s absence. Iowa’s offense had a better flow to it because they weren’t relying on Jok to create offense for them and standing around watching.

Ryan Kriener had 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting off the bench, and Jordan Bohannon and Tyler Cook combined for 25 points as the only two starters to reach double-digit points. Bohannon made four threes, while Cook made his second three of the season.

Despite Iowa’s offense looking as good as it has in weeks, they still struggled at the line. The Hawkeyes made just 11-of-20 from the free-throw line with Cook going 2-of-5.

Iowa didn’t get into a ton of foul trouble and Ohio State only went 11-of-17 at the line, so the misses at the line weren’t costly in the end. Although it continues to be a problem for the Hawkeyes.

Three players scored in double-figures for Ohio State, but after Illinois’ frontcourt tore through the defense on Wednesday, the Hawkeyes made the necessary adjustments in the paint. Staggering Cordell Pemsl and Tyler Cook led to huge defensive plays by Nicholas Baer, who finished with three of Iowa’s five blocks.