No. 25 Hawkeyes move past UCLA with second Big Ten win of the season

IOWA CITY — When the No. 25 Iowa men’s basketball squad shoots well, they can be a threatening force in the Big Ten.

They shot well against UCLA. In the first half.

In the Hawkeyes’ first Big Ten matchup since facing Maryland a month ago, Iowa took part in its fourth-straight home bout and welcomed in the West Coast conference foes. It was a packed Carver-Hawkeye Arena — what Iowa head coach Ben McCollum had hoped it’d look like during conference play.

There wasn’t much that didn’t happen by the time the final buzzer rang, much to the joy of Hawkeye fans. The Hawkeyes’ first half paved the way for a 74-61 win over UCLA, securing Iowa’s second Big Ten win of the year.

“I think we just made people happy today,” Alvaro Folguerias said. “We have a big privilege as Hawkeyes, that is that we have the chance to make a lot of people happy every single night, and we take that responsibility, that privilege and we are making sure we do our part.”

In the first 20 minutes, there was nothing Iowa couldn’t do. The Hawkeyes settled in from the opening tip, after forward Folgueiras kicked off the Iowa lead with a 6-0 run.

“He’s not scared of the moment,” McCollum said. “He thinks he's the best player in the world, which is a good thing and a bad thing sometimes, but he was excellent tonight.”

Iowa shot 56 percent from the floor and 43 percent from 3-point range in the first half. UCLA couldn’t keep up, scoring just 21 points and turning the ball over seven times. Folgueiras was a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, not only sending Iowa fans into a frenzy but forcing the Bruins defense to reorganize away from their Bennett Stirtz-focused defense.

That didn’t help the cause, as the Hawkeye point guard still reached double figures by halftime. Iowa worked its way up to an 18-point lead at intermission, with almost every statistical category on its side.

UCLA head coach Mick Cronin was visibly frustrated, watching the game with a stoic face but angrily addressing the Bruins during timeouts.

Whatever he told his UCLA squad started working its magic in the second half, though.

“They came out pressing and made us really uncomfortable,” Stirtz said.

Out of the halftime break, UCLA held the Hawkeyes without a basket for over six minutes. It chipped away at all the excitement Iowa created for its home fans and dwindled it down to a five-point game. The game went from Cronin’s visible frustration to McCollum’s frustration.

Stirtz picked up his third foul halfway through the second half and his fourth with just over eight minutes to play. He stayed in the game, however, scoring 27 points, with four rebounds and five assists.

“I think this is the first time in my college career I've been in foul trouble, so never really been in that position,” Stirtz said. “And it definitely felt weird.”

The Bruins got as close as four points with less than three minutes to play. Fouls, totaling 40 between both teams, halted the fast-paced first half and infuriated Iowa fans.

Hawkeye guard Cooper Koch then took a charge with two minutes to go. He hadn’t played the best game, scoring just six points, but that offensive foul gave Iowa the wiggle room to shimmy back to a three-possession lead.

Forward Tavion Banks slammed down a dunk in the final minute and recovered a rebound right after. Stirtz added a triple from the Hawkeye logo as the shot clock expired to deliver the final blow.

Iowa’s second Big Ten win of the season closed out the home stand. The Hawkeyes head to Minnesota on Tuesday night for a date with the Golden Gophers.

“The crowd was awesome,” McCollum said. “We made sure the second half, we kept it close to keep people here. It was all intentional. No, that's a joke, but the crowd willed us to victory.”

Comments: madison.hricik@thegazette.com

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