Hawkeye men blast New Hampshire in nonconference finale, 112-70

IOWA CITY — The Iowa men’s basketball team lived freely against New Hampshire Monday night.

The 10-3 Hawkeyes scored early and often, then kept scoring in their 112-70 rout of the Wildcats at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. It was the highest point-total of the season for Iowa and the third time it has topped 100 points.

The Hawkeyes’ goal for the night, besides winning comfortably in doing so, was getting extended playing time for players who have missed some time in the season to date.

Seydou Traore, a 6-foot-7 sophomore wing, had missed the last two games with an ankle injury. Cooper Koch, a 6-6 freshman, has missed four games.

Both scored 14 points. Koch made three 3-pointers and had three assists. Traore, who never had more than two assists in a game, had a team-high six.

“That’s what makes him special,” Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said. “He makes plays for other people, whether it be in transition, whether he’s facing up, or whether he goes (to his) backdown game. He’s incredibly unselfish.

“He’s got great vision. He can affect the game in a lot of ways with his length, with his athleticism. But his feel for the game is really special.”

Traore professed no interest in his statistics, saying his assist total was “basically me going out there and competing and getting my teammates involved, also getting myself involved in the game.

“I had a lot of fun today.”

Iowa took a 7-0 lead two minutes into the game and extended it to 62-33 at halftime. The Hawkeyes used 13 players in the half. Backup big men Even Brauns and Ryan Mulvey got more playing time than usual, and freshman Chris Tadjo

Hawkeye guard Drew Thelwell had a particularly good first-half, making all four of his field goal tries, scoring nine points, and leading his team in rebounds and assists with four of each.

Iowa made 60.8 percent of its shots in the game. It scored 64 points in the paint. Ten different Hawkeyes had assists and eight had steals.

The Hawkeyes played without center Owen Freeman, who was held out with a lower-leg issue. Freeman was on the Iowa bench in street clothes, and appeared to be walking all right. McCaffery says he thinks Freeman will play Friday when the Hawkeyes resume Big Ten play with a game at Wisconsin.

Sophomore Ladji Dembele, starting in Freeman’s place, scored a career-high 12 points. Freshman forward Cooper Koch also had a career-high with 14.

Seydou Traore, back after a two-game absence with a health issue, had his high point-total as a Hawkeye with 14 and had a career-high six assists. Senior forward Payton Sandfort scored 15 points in 17 minutes of play. Josh Dix and Pryce Sandfort had 11 points apiece.

Giancarlo Bastianoni, playing in his second game as a Wildcat, had 17 points.

The announced attendance was 10,289, Iowa’s second-largest for a home game this season.

Friday’s Iowa-Wisconsin game is at 6 p.m. Wisconsin is 10-3 overall, but 0-2 in the Big Ten. Iowa is 1-1 in league play.

New Hampshire (2-13) hosts Vermont Saturday in its America East Conference-opener.

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