Iowa ran into the No.7 ranked Spartans buzzsaw in East Lansing and lost 71-52, in their Big Ten opener. The Hawkeye offense struggled in the first 20 minutes, shooting 7-of-21 (33.3) from the field and 3-of-12 from 3-point range. The Iowa defense forced Michigan State into seven first half turnovers, including five in its first 13 possessions.
Senior Brendan Hausen led the way for Iowa in the first half with seven points. At the break, Iowa trailed Michigan State, 35-21. The Hawkeyes were able to put together multiple runs in the second half, but Michigan State would respond.
Senior Bennett Stirtz led the way for Iowa with 14 points on 4-of-10 shooting, while knocking down three 3-pointers. Junior Cam Manyawu led Iowa on the glass with six rebounds.
The Hawkeyes shot 17-of-45 (37.8) from the field and 7-of-23 (30.4) from 3-point range. Iowa converted on 11-of-17 (64.7) from the free throw line. Michigan State hit 50% from the field and outrebounded Iowa by 19.
Iowa coach Ben McCollum said “This is going to be good for us. The first game, just understanding the league, understanding how it’s going to be played. Just understanding all those different things and then a good environment for us to be in, which was great for us to learn and grow and get better, and we will get shockingly better. I thought we did a great job in transition defensively, which was a big key for us. I thought offensive rebounds were OK for a little bit. I thought we broke a little bit down the stretch. Obviously, the free throw differential is one of those things we’ll have to fix.”
Iowa moves to 7-1 on the season and returns to action Saturday, hosting Maryland at 3 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Hear the game on KWPC. Coverage is brought to you by Muscatine Power and Water, Community Health Care Dental Clinic, Ed Morse Chevy, Buick and GMC and Meineke Muffler.
