|
Payton Sandfort paced Iowa (18-13, 10-10) with
23 points and seven rebounds and Josh Dix notched 13 points.
Tony Perkins, the Hawkeyes' No. 2 scorer and one of three
players honored before the game on Senior Night, hit just 1 of
10 shots and finished with two points as Iowa scored its fewest
points of the season and tied its worst field-goal percentage
(35.4 percent).
Illinois and Iowa could face each other again Friday in the Big
Ten tournament quarterfinals. The Illini own the No. 2 seed and
a double bye while the Hawkeyes are the No. 7 seed and face No.
10 seed Ohio State (19-12, 9-11) in the second round Thursday.
Iowa, which entered the game ranked No. 9 nationally in
offensive efficiency, per KenPom.com, came up empty on its first
10 possessions. The Hawkeyes missed nine shots and committed one
turnover in the first five minutes as Illinois took a 10-0 lead.
Sandfort ended Iowa's drought with a runner at the 14:58 mark,
but Illinois extended its lead to 22-4 on Shannon's drive in
transition for a three-point play with 11:50 left in the half.
Iowa switched to a zone defense at that juncture, but the Illini
kept rolling. Guerrier and Shannon cashed 3-pointers, then
Shannon slashed through three defenders for a layup. When he
added one free throw on Illinois' next possession, he had 13
points -- two more than Iowa in a 31-11 game.
Sparked by freshman backup point guard Brock Harding, the
Hawkeyes responded with a 14-2 run. Harding's 3-pointer from the
wing pulled Iowa within 33-25 with 3:28 left in the half.
Illinois carried a 39-29 lead into the break. The Illini
extended their margin to 14 early in the half on Shannon's
driving layup and 3-pointer, but Iowa chipped away as Sandfort
heated up. He drilled two 3-pointers and a jump hook to help the
Hawkeyes cut the deficit to 51-47 with 11:15 to go.
That's when Domask's game-long struggles ended. He drove for a
short pullup, sank a 20-foot fadeaway as the shot clock sounded
and fed Dain Dainja for a layup and a dunk to reel off eight
straight points and restore a 12-point margin.
--Field Level Media
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|
