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Hawkeyes pull away for win over Michigan

On3 imageby:Tom Kakert•01/27/24•

HawkeyeReport

Payton Sandfort(2)
Payton Sandfort paced the Hawkeyes in the win over Michigan. (Photo: USA Today)

The Iowa basketball team and Payton Sandfort needed a strong performance. They got that and more on Saturday at Michigan. Sandfort scored a career best 26 points, including a blistering 6-8 from three, in an 88-78 victory over the Wolverines.

With the victory, Iowa moved to 12-8 on the season and 4-5 in conference play. In addition, Tony Perkins scored 24 points on an impressive 9-12 shooting. True freshman Owen Freeman fell one rebound short of a double-double with 15 and 9 boards.

The key portion of the game of the Hawkeyes was at the end of the first half into the early stages of the second half, where Iowa went on 20-2 run, keyed by five points from Perkins and a jumper from Sandfort to build a 52-44 edge in the game.

The other key was Michigan going ice cold from the floor in the final nine plus minutes of the game. The Wolverines got within one at 67-66 after a three pointer from Terrance Williams. From that point with 10:06 left in the game and didn’t make a field goal again until with a three from Nimari Burnett with 19 seconds left in the game.

The first half of the game was a back and forth affair. Tarris Reed, who caused problems for Iowa in the first meeting, scored six of the first eight points for the Wolverines. Reed only scored one point the rest of the game.

Williams, who finished with a team high 16 points, scored on a drive to give Michigan a 13-12 lead. Freeman hit a layup and Sandfort scored on a fadeaway jumper to the Hawkeyes a 16-13 edge. A Ladji Dembele jumper put Iowa up 27-26 and then Michigan went on a 10-0 run to go up 36-27.

Iowa then closed the half on a 15-8 run to close the gap to 44-42 at the break. The story of the game was Sandfort and his big shots down the stretch, hitting three triples down the final ten minutes to clinch the game.

The Hawkeyes continue their road trip with a visit to Indiana on Tuesday night. That game is set for a 6 p.m. tipoff with the contest airing on the Big Ten Network.

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