It had to feel like deja vu for the Iowa basketball team, only not the good kind. They led Purdue for most of the game but for the second time in a month lost a lead on the road to a top five team. Missed opportunities including several turnovers sealed the Hawkeyes fate, just like they did last month against Iowa State.
Iowa gave the Boilermakers a great game, but they didn’t have enough firepower to pull the upset, ultimately falling 79-72. It’s the third loss in a row for Ben McCollum’s team, which is now 2-4 in Big Ten play and looking for answers. There were several things to like about Wednesday’s game, despite the loss, and there are several areas that need improvement.
Kael Combs has been a bright development recently, despite the three-game skid. After only scoring in double figures once in Iowa’s first 11 games, Combs has now reached that mark in three of the last six games. He poured in a career-high 16 points against the Boilermakers on 6-9 shooting from the field. The junior guard also added five rebounds and two assists as well.
Iowa had a 50-45 lead at the under-12 timeout in the second half. Purdue had cut into the lead a bit, but the Hawkeyes were still in control and had the Mackey Arena crowd quieter than usual. That’s when the momentum completely changed. Out of that timeout, the Hawkeyes would turn it over on four of their next five possessions, allowing the Boilermakers to go on a 10-2 run to take their first lead since the 4:56 mark of the first half.
Stirtz led all scorers with 19 points to go along with three rebounds and four assists. Combs marked a new career-high with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Junior Cam Manyawu added 13 points, three rebounds, and a team-high three steals.
