Fran McCaffery credits Minnesota for tough fight in win

Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery credited Minnesota for its tough fight in the Hawkeyes’ win Sunday.

Iowa took down its conference foe 68-56 on the road. The Gophers struggled on the court this season and the loss dropped them to 7-16 through 23 games.

However, McCaffery tipped his cap to head coach Ben Johnson.

“Oh yeah. I think (Ben) Johnson has done a fabulous job,” McCaffery said postgame. “He’s kept them hungry, he’s kept them motivated. They’re competing and he’s taking this opportunity to play his young guys and let them grow. He’s letting them play and it will pay dividends down the road. You’re trying to win every game, but you’re also trying to build something. 

“We know they were going to battle us defensively, we knew they were going to battle us on the glass. I have respect for their talent. They have guys like (Dawson) Garcia, who is out. You want him to be able to play. He’s one of the best players in the league. The other guys performed well.”

Kris Murray went off for the Hawkeyes. He finished the game with 28 points, 14 rebounds and two assists. Filip Rebraca added 16 points, eight rebounds and two assists.

Minnesota certainly had its fight during the game. Three Gophers finished in double figures in the loss, including a team high 11 points, two rebounds and one assist for Joshua Ola-Joseph.

Iowa led by just three at the half but outscored Minnesota 36-27 in the final 20 minutes.

“We fouled them a couple of times, which I’d prefer we not do during that stretch,” McCaffery said of his defense locking down Minnesota. “Throughout the course of the game, we found out what they were doing. They were trying to do some screen slip stuff and get it to the front of the rim. They have a bunch of guys that can put it on the deck and drive.

“We had to lock in the drivers and try to contest and limit them to one shot so we could run. To be able to do that against a team that is going to come after you and runs good stuff, it was a really good job by our guys.”

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Iowa (16-9) returns to the court Thursday against Ohio State at home at 9:00 p.m. ET.