Iowa, Payton Sandfort settle down and post season-opening win

IOWA CITY — He was nervous. Seriously.

It was Payton Sandfort’s 103rd career game for the Iowa Hawkeyes, but this one hit differently.

After entering the NBA Draft last summer and then pulling out of it and returning to college basketball for one more season, Monday night’s opener against Texas A&M-Commerce at Carver-Hawkeye Arena brought the senior forward a case of jitters. Believe it or not.

“It was a long night last night,” Sandfort said, after a second-half surge brought Iowa an 89-67 win. “Being in Carver and playing with my brother is one of my favorite things in the world. Being back was a really, really special moment for me. Seeing my parents there again (courtside). There were some dark days the last few months, so just being back home and playing in front of the home state again was really special for me.”

Sandfort flirted with a triple-double, ending with game highs of 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. He also blocked three shots.

That was after a less-than-inspiring start from him and his teammates, as Iowa led by just three at the under-eight timeout. Sandfort didn’t score until converting a driving shot with 6:03 left in the first half.

Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery even took him out of the lineup at one point to try and get him to calm down.

“I didn’t expect that,” McCaffery said. “He never really played like that, even when he was a freshman. I just think he really wants to lead this team. He really wants to do well, and he puts a lot of pressure on himself. Then we struggled early, nothing was falling, we turned it over a few times, they got a couple of second shots, putbacks. We couldn’t get a loose ball.

“But he kept it together for everybody. Not surprised.”

Iowa extended a seven-point halftime lead thanks to a 13-0 run triggered by a press defense that turned over Commerce and led to transition buckets. Morehead State graduate transfer Drew Thelwell was integral in the run.

He finished with 10 points in 17 minutes and appears to give the Hawkeyes a legit second lead guard to go with Brock Harding.

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“He’s been playing like that lately,” McCaffery said. “One of the things that happened to him when he got here, we play differently than they did at his previous place. They were a set-play team, he was always up top, calling for the ball, calling a set, run a set. We don’t play that way. We’re going. He’s very capable, it’s not like he can’t play that way. I would argue that he’s better playing this way. That’s why we recruited him out of the portal in the first place.

“So I think he’s getting more comfortable. And I think he’s having fun. You can see that he’s having fun. He can impact a game at both ends.”

Pryce Sandfort also showed off a stronger and improved game, adding 13 points off the bench. He was one of five double-figure scorers for Iowa, joining his brother, Owen Freeman (15) and Josh Dix (10).

Iowa had 23 assists, a a reflection of its ball movement in the half court. Khaliq Abdul-Mateen led Commerce with 12 points.

“I just didn’t feel like we had much energy (in the first half),” Pryce Sandfort said. “We picked it up in the second half.”

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“I’m glad we battled through some adversity,” Payton Sandfort said. “We really found our stride, the defense was really good for a long stretch of the second half. I’m proud of the way a lot of guys contributed. It was great.”

Sophomore forward and Manhattan transfer Seydou Traore did not play Monday night because of a “bum wheel,” according to McCaffery. Traore was wearing a walking boot on his right foot.

He may or may not play Thursday night when Iowa hosts Southern University at 7 p.m.

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