Sunday afternoon 2 of the premier basketball programs in the country, No. 9 Iowa Hawkeyes and No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes, went to battle in Columbus for 3rd place in the Big Ten Conference. Both Ohio State and Iowa were looking to bounce back after tough losses earlier in the week.
Iowa’s star forward Luka Garza started the game out on fire, scoring 9 of the Hawkeye’s first 12 points. Garza’s fast start set the pace for a strong first half for the entire Iowa team; they opened up a 14-point lead going into the half.
Sophomore EJ Liddell led Ohio State in the first half; he recorded 13 points in the first 20 minutes of action. While Iowa’s, Luka Garza, recorded 15 points and 7 rebounds in the first frame.
During the first half, Iowa Point Guard Jordan Bohannon became the school’s all-time assist leader, recording his 613th career assist on a pass to teammate Joe Wieskamp which was converted as a three-pointer.
Ohio State was not about to let Iowa run away after taking a 14-point lead into the first half. The Buckeyes would go on an 11 point run early in the second half to cut the defect into a manageable one.
The early run in the second half would turn out to just not be enough when put up against Iowa’s hot three point shooting, passing, and great defense. The Hawkeyes shot 10/24 from three, recorded 19 assists as a team, and forced the Buckeyes to turn over the ball 13 times.
Garza recorded his 31st career double-double in the Hawkeyes’ win with 24 points and 11 rebounds; his teammate Joe Wieskamp also added 19 points and 6 rebounds while shooting 5/9 from three. Buckeye sophomore Lidell would end the game with 15 points, with teammate Justice Sueing adding 12 points.
The Hawkeyes’ 73-57 victory over the No. 4 Buckeyes was their 7th win over a ranked opponent this season; it was also Iowa’s 1st win in Columbus since 2014. The win in Columbus gives the No. 9 Hawkeyes the No. 3 spot in the Big 10 Conference standings with just a week to play in the regular season.
The Hawkeyes have 2 more games until the postseason play begins, Thursday they take on Nebraska and the regular-season finale will be played against No. 23, Wisconsin. The Buckeyes have a game left in the regular season, and will look to bounce back next Saturday against No. 5 Illinois.
