IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Keegan Murray scored 28 points as No. 25 Iowa defeated Michigan State 86-60 on Tuesday night.
Kris Murray, Keegan’s twin brother, and Jordan Bohannon each had 11 as the Hawkeyes (19-8, 9-7 Big Ten) continued their February run. Iowa lost three of its last four games to end January, but is 5-1 since.
Keegan Murray, who entered fourth nationally in scoring at 23.4 points per game, was 10 of 15 from the field. It was his 19th game of 20 or more points this season.
It was the third consecutive win by Iowa over the struggling Spartans (18-9, 9-7), who have dropped five of six overall.
Iowa opened the game by making six of its first seven shots, leading by as much as 15 points in the first half before taking a 46-32 halftime lead.
The Hawkeyes missed nine of their first 10 shots in the second half, but maintained their double-digit lead by making their first seven free throws. Bohannon then hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Iowa led 61-44 with 12:57 to play.
Iowa’s biggest lead was 84-52 with 3:11 left.
Malik Hall led Michigan State with 17 points.
GARZA HONORED
Former Iowa center Luka Garza, the AP national player of the year last season, had his jersey No. 55 retired in a halftime ceremony.
Garza, a consensus first-team All-American last year, ended his career as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,306 points.
“That number, obviously, means a lot to me and my family,” Garza said before the ceremony. “I put everything I had into that jersey for four years. To see that go up in the rafters is something I’ll never forget.”
The jerseys of former Hawkeyes Murray Wier, Roy Marble and Chuck Darling were retired during a pregame ceremony.
BIG PICTURE
The Hawkeyes moved into a sixth-place tie with the Spartans in the Big Ten. This was the only meeting between the teams during the regular season.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The Hawkeyes, who were one point ahead of the Spartans in this week’s poll, made a good case to stay in the rankings.
Michigan State fell out of the poll this week after getting as high as No. 10 in the rankings in 12 appearances this season.
UP NEXT
Michigan State: Hosts No. 4 Purdue on Saturday.
Iowa: At Nebraska on Friday.
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