The Iowa Hawkeyes took on the unranked Michigan State Spartans at their home arena in Iowa City Tuesday evening. The Hawkeyes were looking to come back from losing 2 straight games, one major upset against unranked Indiana at home and another when they played No. 12 Illinois. Having come off those losses, the team is back on track and remains in the top 10 in the nation.
After tipoff, the match did not look too promising for the Hawkeyes. Michigan State was all over the court, putting up baskets like there was no tomorrow. Struggling to have a comeback from the beginning, the Hawkeyes at one point fell behind by 11 points, and it seemed this would be yet another substantial upset game on their record. It wasn’t until there were less than 3 minutes on the clock in the first half that the Hawkeyes could tie the score at 38-38 and eventually take the lead going into halftime at 48-43.
From that point on, the game was a tug-of-war, with each team going back and forth to be on top. There were many times in the second half where the game was within a 1–2-point difference or tied up. At 5:08 remaining, Keegan Murray’s layup finally broke that pattern to get up at 75-70. However, there was a minute at the end where the points got dangerously close again, and Michigan State closed the gap at 78-80, only being down by 2 points. What gave the Hawkeyes their edge back was when Rocket Watts for Michigan State earned himself a foul, giving the Hawkeyes the chance to take two free throw shots, Jordan Bohannon completing both.
Bohannon made two more free throws after the previous attempted ones to finish the match with only seconds left in the game with a final score of 84-78 victory.
One player, in particular, hit an incredible milestone in his career during this game. Not only was Center Luka Garza (Iowa) the top scorer for his team and the game, but he officially made 2,000 career points wearing a Hawkeyes jersey. Others that contributed to the Hawkeyes win were Jack Nunge, who attained 12 points and an assist coming off the bench, and Joe Toussaint, who also came off the bench and secured 10 points with 6 assists.
Although they’re traveling back home with a loss, Michigan State did have quite a few players show off their skills. Aaron Henry had the most points on his team and second-most in the game with 24, accounting for 9 rebounds and 5 assists. It’s safe to say he’s the man that kept his team in the match. The Spartans starting Guard Joshua Langford was next in line with 15 points and an assist, and Joey Hauser at 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists.
With the Hawkeyes back in the winning mindset, their next goal will be to crack the top 5 by the end of the season. This task will not be easy, though. To happen, they will need to keep winning games and have other top teams lose consistently to earn a spot that high. As the season begins to wind down, they keep their heads up, are optimistic about the situation, and continue moving forward.
Next Up
The Hawkeyes (13-4) remain at home to go up against No. 7 Ohio State at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Thursday, February 4th at 7:00 ET. This match can be watched on ESPN.
Michigan State hopes to have a comeback in their next match against the visiting Nebraska Cornhuskers at Breslin Center Arena on Saturday, February 6th. This game will start at 6:30 ET and will be broadcast on BTN.
