Recap: Double Overtime Too Much For Iowa Basketball, Again

Iowa basketball’s comeback fell short in their 101-89 double-overtime loss to Minnesota.

Don’t blame the refs for Iowa basketball‘s loss. Well, at least not completely.

The Iowa Hawkeyes (14-11, 6-6 B10) had their chances to beat Minnesota (17-7, 5-6 B10) on Wednesday night in their 101-89 double overtime loss. The Hawkeyes shot just 40 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from three. Also, they turned the ball over 18 times, committed 26 fouls and Minnesota blocked 14 shots.

Plus, their poor first half forced them into a 14-point hole in the second half. The Hawkeyes trailed 40-29 at halftime and allowed Minnesota to shoot 45 percent from the field and 46 percent from three. Poor perimeter defense let the Gophers get a lot of open looks from behind the arc, which halted Iowa’s 5-0 run before half that brought the deficit down to four.

Iowa even had the last shot at the end of regulation and overtime. Fran McCaffery drew up questionable plays, though. Both plays resulted in broken plays that ended with contested shots that had very little chance of going in.

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Although, the refs missing Brady Ellingson blatantly calling a timeout at the end of regulation that you could even hear on TV, as well as Minnesota being out-of-bounds when tying him up for a jump ball, is what most Iowa fans will remember. It gave Minnesota a chance to tie the game at 77 and force overtime.

A Nate Mason layup did just that.

Still, Iowa wasted Isaiah Moss‘ 19 points, including 12 in the first half, and Peter Jok returning to form with 26 points in the second half and overtime, finishing the game with 28. After Jok scored just two points on 1-of-3 shooting in the first half, he shot 7-of-17 from the field the rest of the game and led Iowa’s comeback when the game started to slip away.

Iowa trailed 56-43 before going on a 14-0 run midway through the second half. At the time, Jok’s back still looked like it was bothering him and playing him over Isaiah Moss seemed like a mistake. Although, Jok proved everyone wrong by scoring 10 points on that run.

It gave Iowa a spark on both sides of the ball, as they also forced four turnovers on their 14-0 run. With their chance of getting onto the NCAA Tournament bubble dwindling, the Hawkeyes best player, despite being hindered by a back injury, stepped up and carried them.

Jok also had team-highs of nine points and three rebounds in the loss. Jordan Bohannon was the only other Hawkeye to score in double-figures. He extended his double-digit scoring streak to four games with his 12 points and eight assists.

The Hawkeyes downfall in the overtimes was Minnesota’s work on the offensive glass. Minnesota won the rebounding battle 53-49 thanks to 20 offensive rebounds, including 15 in the second half and overtimes.

Minnesota forward Jordan Murphy fouled out but finished with 25 points, 19 rebounds and four blocks. The Hawkeyes could not keep him off the glass, which led to easy baskets. Murphy and Reggie Lynch, who had 12 rebounds and six blocks, controlled the paint the whole night.

As a result, Iowa only shot 42.8 percent from two-point range. The Hawkeyes entered the game shooting 50.8 percent from two-point range this season. Although, they had no easy looks in the paint and Minnesota forced Iowa to earn points at the line. As usual, Iowa struggled from the line, shooting just 71.4 percent.