Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz (14) shoots over Nebraska’s Sam Hoiberg (1) and Pryce Sandfort (21). (Courtesy: Des Moines Register)
Hawkeyes Slow No. 9 Nebraska in Physical 57-52 Defensive Battle
IOWA CITY, Iowa — No. 9 Nebraska held Iowa to 57 points on the road — a number that typically travels well in February — but couldn’t generate enough offense of its own in a 57-52 loss Tuesday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Nebraska (22-4, 11-4 Big Ten) shot just 40.9 percent from the field and 5-of-24 (20.8 percent) from three-point range, struggling to find rhythm against Iowa’s physical half-court defense. The Huskers were limited to 24 second-half points and managed only two offensive rebounds after halftime as Iowa finished with a 37-24 edge on the glass.
“When they take away passes like that, somebody’s got to put the ball on the deck and make a play,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said. “They made the necessary plays to win the game.”
The Hawkeyes (19-7, 9-6 Big Ten) entered with a clear plan: pressure Nebraska’s ball movement and force isolation offense. The result was a grind-it-out contest that featured 10 ties and seven lead changes but little flow. Iowa shot just 33.3 percent from the field but made 17-of-18 free throws (94.4 percent) and turned 12 offensive rebounds into eight second-chance points.
“You give up 57 on the road, you should have a pretty good chance to win the game,” Hoiberg said. “Give Iowa credit — they had a game plan that took us out of what we wanted to run.”
The Huskers were led by Jamarques Lawrence’s 11 points and four assists, while Rienk Mast added eight points and eight rebounds. Pryce Sandfort finished with 13 points on 3-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-6 from beyond the arc, but was a focal point of Iowa’s defensive attention throughout.
For Sandfort, facing his former program brought added emotion, amplified by a crowd of 11,483. Iowa fans directed chants toward him for much of the night.
“Just another game. That was my mindset the whole time,” Sandfort said.
Asked about the crowd’s vulgar chants, Sandfort replied with a sarcastic smile, “I didn’t even hear them chanting at me.”
Hoiberg acknowledged the unique circumstances for his guard.
“It’s such an emotional game for him, with the chants going on — you’ve just got to do everything you can to block it out,” Hoiberg said. “He was the guy that they keyed on out there and got up underneath him. I’m proud of him for how he handled everything in a tough environment.”
Sandfort said Iowa’s physicality stood out from the opening tip.
“They were super physical. Super physical with me off the ball, always had their hands on me,” he said. “They had a really good game plan, they executed it well — we’ve just got to be more physical going forward and push back when they’re pushing us, like [opponents] do every game.”
That physicality showed up most glaringly on the glass. Iowa’s 12 offensive rebounds led to extra possessions in a five-point game. Nebraska, which had 26 points in the paint and 10 fast-break points, couldn’t consistently generate easy baskets in transition as Iowa slowed the tempo.
“They slowed the game down,” Mast said. “We like to play in transition. With them slowing it down, we have to be better at executing our sets. We get into a flow if we get some easy ones, and it was just really hard to get some easy ones tonight.”
Mast also noted a broader trend in how opponents are defending Nebraska.
“I think teams are seeing that we share the ball really well and their game plans are structured towards making us play more one-on-one,” Mast said. “We saw that with Northwestern, we saw that again in this game. We’ve got to work on getting back to sharing it the way we know we can.”
Nebraska finished with 10 assists on 18 made field goals and committed 12 turnovers. In the closing minutes, Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz scored 25 points — including key late free throws — to help seal the game before Lawrence’s layup at the buzzer provided the final margin.
Hoiberg was blunt about what his team must improve.
“It’s a will,” he said. “When you see pressure, your eyes should light up. We just did not handle it well at all tonight.”
Despite the frustration, there was no sense of panic in the visiting locker room — only resolve. Iowa’s students stormed the court as the final horn sounded, something Mast took as a sign of Nebraska’s standing.
“I think that credits our program, where we’re at right now,” Mast said. “It’s a compliment from the Iowa fans. If they think we’re that good, I guess we’ll take that.”
Sandfort echoed that sentiment with a forward-looking tone.
“We’ll see them again in a couple weeks.”