Payton Sandfort rode a hot-shooting night to 20 points and Filip Rebraca added a 20-point double-double, powering Iowa past visiting Northwestern 86-70 on Tuesday night in Iowa City.
Kris Murray added 16 points, Tony Perkins scored 12 and Connor McCaffery had 11. Rebraca had 10 rebounds and Sandfort chipped in a game-high five assists.
Boo Buie led Northwestern (15-6, 6-4) with 20 points while Chase Audige had 15.
Sandfort shot 5-for-7 from 3-point range and converted a rare six-point possession late in the game to help the Hawkeyes (14-8, 6-5 Big Ten) win for the sixth time in eight games.
With Iowa guarding an eight-point lead with 3:36 to play, Sandfort knocked down his fourth 3-pointer on a screen action and fell to the floor. The officials called a foul on Northwestern, and Wildcats coach Chris Collins received a technical for arguing the decision.
Sandfort made the two technical free throws and added the other foul shot, opening up an insurmountable 79-65 Iowa advantage.
The Wildcats lost for the first time since Jan. 15. This was one of two games the program had to reschedule due to a COVID-19 outbreak earlier this month.
Iowa used a 7-0 spurt, capped by a 3-pointer from Sandfort, to take a 25-22 lead with 8:05 left in the first half.
The Wildcats responded with eight straight points amid a 13-1 run overall. Buie set up Audige for a one-handed alley-oop dunk in that span, and Audige's triple later gave Northwestern its largest lead of the game, 35-26.
Murray scored the Hawkeyes' next eight points thanks to two 3-pointers. Iowa salvaged a 39-39 halftime tie when Sandfort nailed a long trey with three seconds left.
Northwestern led for the first few minutes of the second half before a 7-0 run swung it back the Hawkeyes' way. Brooks Barnhizer converted a nice reverse layup to put Northwestern back in front 56-55, but Iowa answered with a 7-0 run that put it in control the rest of the way.
--Field Level Media
Northwestern | Iowa | |
Boo Buie 20 | Scoring | Filip Rebraca 20 |
Boo Buie 3 | Assists | Payton Sandfort 5 |
Matthew Nicholson 5 | Rebounds | Filip Rebraca 10 |
Boo Buie 7 | Free Throws Made | Tony Perkins 5 |
Boo Buie 3 | Steals | Tony Perkins 2 |
Tydus Verhoeven 4 | Blocks | Kris Murray 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Northwestern | 70 | 46.6 | 4-17 | 12-14 | 11 | 23 | 4 | 7 | 10 |
Iowa | 86 | 55.8 | 10-21 | 18-22 | 17 | 28 | 4 | 3 | 12 |