Recap: Jordan Bohannon Shoots Iowa Basketball To Third Straight Win
Iowa basketball defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers 81-70 on Sunday.
It took almost an entire half for Iowa basketball (14-10, 6-5 B10) to gain any momentum against Nebraska (10-13, 4-7 B10), but they played well in Peter Jok‘s return once they did. Iowa avenged their double-overtime loss to Nebraska earlier in the year with an 81-70 win over Nebraska at home on Sunday for their first three-game conference winning streak of the season.
With Jok returning to the starting lineup, Nicholas Baer went back to the bench. He still played starter minutes but continued to give Iowa a much-needed spark off the bench with his seven points, six rebounds, three blocks and a steal. He was Iowa’s only source of energy for most of the first half.
It was a back-and-forth game, as Iowa only held a 38-36 halftime lead. Both teams went to their big men early, which led to a lot of fouls and Iowa only attempting eight threes in the first half.
The Hawkeyes gained momentum heading into halftime by scoring seven points in the final two minutes, though. An Ahmad Wagner tip-in, Jordan Bohannon three and Peter Jok basket as time expired shifted the momentum of a sloppy first half in favor of the Hawkeyes.
Iowa controlled most of the second half, as a result. They never trailed in the second half and pulled away for good when they took a 67-59 lead with 5:17 left in the game. Iowa finished the game making 11-of-12 from the line to seal the game and take sole possession of sixth place in the Big Ten.
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Jok only scored 12 points on 2-of-7 shooting in his return. He didn’t look 100 percent healthy, but he gave the Hawkeyes another scoring option, nonetheless, and helped set up his teammates with his five assists.
With Ed Morrow out again for Nebraska, Iowa fed Tyler Cook in the paint and dared Nebraska to find a way to stop him. Nebraska had no answer for Cook, as four players recorded at least four fouls and Jordy Tshimanga fouled out. Cook struggled at times on defense when Nebraska attacked him, as he also recorded four fouls, but he dominated on offense with 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting.
Alongside Cook, Jordan Bohannon set an Iowa record for most threes in a season by a freshman with 54. Bohannon scored 15 points while shooting 4-of-6 from deep.
Brady Ellingson also shot lights out for the Hawkeyes, who shot 9-of-19 from three as a team. He finished with 11 points and five assists on three made threes. Ellingson continued his good stretch of games by being aggressive on offense and looking to make plays instead of just being a three-point specialist.
Along with Ellingson, Dom Uhl continued to be aggressive and look for his shot. He made both of his shots, along with two free-throws, for seven points. Iowa is a much better team when Uhl and Ellingson are aggressive on offense and force teams to respect their games. Cordell Pemsl also scored six points off the bench.
Iowa’s 9-of-19 three-point shooting gave them control of the game, especially when Cook and Pemsl got into foul trouble. Nebraska only shot 3-of-20 from three, as guard Glynn Watson Jr barely played because of a foot injury.
Still, Jack McVeigh and Tai Webster were almost enough for the Cornhuskers. They combined for 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists on 13-of-31 shooting from the field.
As good as Iowa’s perimeter defense paired with Nebraska’s poor outside shooting was, the Hawkeyes struggled keeping Nebraska out of the paint. McVeigh and Webster got good looks inside to keep Nebraska in the game but struggled down the stretch, shooting 1-of-4 from the field in the final two minutes.
Just like against Purdue and Rutgers, Iowa won the second time around against Nebraska. They didn’t play with a lot of energy until the second half, but they still withstood 16 offensive rebounds from Nebraska and won their 14th game of the year.
The Hawkeyes are now sixth place in the Big Ten with huge games against Minnesota and Michigan State next week. They have a chance to move to fifth with a perfect week.
