The Iowa offense goes as Bennet Stirtz goes, and it was tough going for the star guard against Iowa State on Thursday night.
No. 4 Iowa State pestered Stirtz all night, and outside of a couple of big three-point baskets, he was held in check.
Stirtz finished the game with 10 points on 27 percent shooting, five rebounds, and four assists as the Hawkeyes' 33-25 first-half lead quickly evaporated early in the second half.
The Iowa offense came out firing in the first half and pressured Iowa State on defense, but the Cyclones proved to be too much, pouring it on in the first three minutes of the second half.
The Cyclones went on a 16-0 scoring run to take the lead, and never looked back as the Hawkeyes could not recapture the magic they found in the first half.
Iowa State won a hard-fought game 66-62, and the Hawkeyes showed a lot of grit and toughness in the loss.
While Iowa ultimately lost the game, the squad did a lot of good things overall, but don't talk to Stirtz about any "moral victories."
Bennett Stirtz on the 66-62 loss at #4 Iowa State: “It gives us a lot of confidence. I’m still not into moral victories. We lost the game. It sucks still. We need to let it suck. It’ll make us better. But I’m super-proud. We were down 10 in the second half because we didn’t come…
— Chad Leistikow🆑 (@ChadLeistikow) December 12, 2025
According to the Des Moines Register's Chad Lesitikow, Stirtz gave a very blunt response postgame when he was asked about the loss.
Stirtz was proud of the effort the guys showed, and while it does give them a lot of confidence, he does not believe in "moral victories."
He followed that up by stating that they still lost the game and that it sucks, and that they "have to let it suck" to make them better.
Most Iowa fans do not want to hear it after a loss to a hated rival, but the Hawkeyes did multiple good things against a very tough Iowa State squad.
Past Iowa Men's Basketball teams would have folded under the pressure of taking on a top-five team in a hostile environment. Still, the Hawkeyes responded to the adversity and played their hearts out.
Stirtz said what everyone was thinking, stating there are "no moral victories" in a tough defeat, but this group can hold their heads up high after taking a difficult opponent to the wire in front of a raucous Hilton crowd.