The University of Iowa men’s basketball team defeated Lipscomb, 76-54, in its regular season opener at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa opened the game trading baskets with the Bisons before breaking a 27-27 tie with an 11-2 run to take control. Cooper Koch and Kael Combs helped fuel the surge as Iowa’s defense forced multiple turnovers, allowing the Hawkeyes to build a 38-29 halftime lead.
Coming out of halftime, Iowa quickly extended its margin as Jaidyn Coon and Combs scored inside to stretch the advantage to 16. Coon and Tate Sage added key baskets as the Hawkeyes maintained control through the middle stanza.
“Defensively it was exactly what we needed. We were able to keep guys fresh. Lineups aren’t going to always totally be like that; we’re still finding ourselves. That’s a really hard team to guard. They’re a good basketball team. They were up at Duke at halftime last season. Kevin is a really good coach, and honestly, it’s a horrible matchup for us because they play a bunch of guards. We couldn’t play like a big group ever because they played so many guards. It was a bad matchup for us, but it will be good for us in the long run.”
In the final stretch, Iowa’s reserves helped seal the victory as the Hawkeyes pushed their lead to 27 points. Coon led the Hawkeyes with 12 points, while Ty’Reek Coleman added 10. Koch and Sage scored nine points apiece, and Combs dished out a game-high five assists.
Iowa returns to action Friday, hosting Eastern Illinois at 7:30 p.m. on MC 93.
