SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — In a rollercoaster contest that saw Iowa men’s basketball lead by as many as eight in the first half — and trail by as many as 11 in the second half — the Hawkeyes found another gear late to defeat Utah, 95-88, at the Sanford Pentagon on Saturday.
Iowa started the game with a spirited effort and was up by eight early on. But Utah turned the momentum in its favor and led for more than half of the first 20 minutes, going into the break leading by four. Then, the Utes scored the first seven points of the second half to extend their advantage to 11.
Iowa, though, made progress in closing the gap, getting into the bonus with over 12 minutes remaining in the second half. Free throws have been a shortcoming at times for Iowa this season, but the Hawkeyes finished 18-of-24 from the charity stripe Saturday.
Iowa regained the lead near the midway point of the second half. But it also took a hit as Owen Freeman picked up his fourth foul around the same time.
It was a tightly contested affair from there.
“The way they started the second half, for us to respond to that in that first four minutes,” Payton Sandfort said. “I thought Owen was great in there. Everybody off the bench, everybody kept coming in the game with a ton of energy and making big plays. I’m proud of the way that everybody stepped up. I think that crowd got us over the line once we got the lead and then we were able to hang onto it the rest of the night.”
Video: Payton Sandfort, Drew Thelwell on Sanford Pentagon atmosphere
Drew Thelwell and Payton Sandfort discuss Iowa’s win over Utah on Saturday.
All five of Iowa’s starters scored in double-figures. Payton Sandfort led the way with 24 points. Meanwhile, Freeman (16), Josh Dix (15), Brock Harding (12) and Drew Thelwell (15) put the ball in the basket at a high rate too.
Ladji Dembele and Pryce Sandfort were key off the bench for the Hawkeyes. Dembele had five points and four rebounds. Pryce Sandfort had eight points.
With both teams entering Saturday averaging better than 86 points per game, it had the makings of a high-octane offensive matchup.
It lived up to the billing, with Iowa shooting 53% from the field and 45% from deep while Utah went 51% from the field and 33% from deep.
Iowa has already been in a handful of close games this season, beating Washington State and Northwestern in crunch time. The Hawkeyes also lost to Utah State, Michigan and Iowa State in games that went down to the wire.
On Saturday, it added Utah to the win column. With the victory, Iowa improves to 9-3 overall this season.
“They just made a few more plays,” Utah coach Craig Smith said. “They’re probably a little more battle-tested, quite frankly. Made the last second shot to beat Northwestern, really dog fight against Michigan, Iowa State they had on the ropes the whole way. And so, you go through that process and they just made a few more plays than us.”
The two programs have now faced off twice this calendar year. Utah ended Iowa’s 2023-24 season, beating the Hawkeyes 91-82 in the NIT. Gabe Madsen, who scored 31 on Iowa in March, including hitting seven 3-pointers, entered Saturday’s matchup averaging 19.8 points per game this season.
On Saturday, Madsen had just nine points. But his brother, Mason, who transferred in from Boston College, posted 24.
The Hawkeyes had trouble slowing down Lawson Lovering, who is listed at 7-foot-1. After grabbing 10 rebounds in that March matchup, Lovering had 25 points on Saturday.
“They kinda embarrassed us to end the year,” Payton Sandfort said. “The way that we responded and came out with a sense of urgency and then regained it was big time.”
Video: Iowa coach Fran McCaffery talks win over Utah
Coach Fran McCaffery discusses Iowa’s win over Utah on Saturday.
Iowa was outrebounded 35-27, which wasn’t great, but it also could’ve been much worse. It didn’t help it was without Seydou Traore for the fourth straight game as he deals with an ankle injury. Riley Mulvey was also unavailable for the Hawkeyes. But that rebounding deficit is less impactful if Iowa shoots the way it did on Saturday.
The crowd also played a factor. Saturday was the first time Iowa has played at the Sanford Pentagon since 2021. Much like the game in Moline, Illinois earlier this season, it featured an electric, pro-Hawkeye atmosphere.
“It was so loud in here when we were making our runs,” Payton Sandfort said. “And it felt like every shot was like the biggest play in the game because it was so loud, even in the first half. So shoutout out to everybody who came out. They’re loud. This environment and the people that host this place are great.”
Video: Utah coach Craig Smith talks loss to Iowa, Josh Dix
Coach Craig Smith discusses Utah’s loss to Iowa on Saturday.
The win over Utah capped off a quartet of notable non-conference opponents. The Hawkeyes went 2-2 — with wins over Washington State and Utah, and losses to Iowa State and Utah State.
That showed some growth from last season last season.
Iowa went 1-3 in those types of regular-season non-conference games last season, losing to Iowa State, Creighton and Oklahoma and holding a win over Seton Hall. The Hawkeyes’ inability to take advantage of those non-conference matchups hurt its March Madness resume.
The Hawkeyes now have just one game remaining before the calendar turns to 2025. Iowa has a brief break over Christmas before resuming play against New Hampshire on Dec. 30. After that, Iowa dives back into Big Ten play. The Hawkeyes are currently 1-1 in the conference.
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com
