Iowa completes upset of No. 19 Purdue, 83-78

IOWA CITY – It was the kind of fight one might've expected from a veteran basketball team. Iowa trailed by nine at the half of Thursday night's game against No. 19 Purdue, and even after erasing the deficit in the second half, could never grab a comfortable lead.

Through 16 ties and 20 lead changes, the Hawkeyes played, seemingly, without fear. They played with the resolve not of a team that starts four freshmen, rather one that's been tested.

It's just one game, and there's still plenty of growing to do, but for the third time in four games, Iowa closed out a close game – this time 83-78 over Purdue. Coach Fran McCaffery said after the first matchup against the Boilermakers that maybe the Hawkeyes needed to go through that to learn a valuable lesson.

Thursday night's win displayed the growth he hoped for from that lesson.

'Well, they certainly played like a veteran group in the second half. Because the thing you have to do when you look at Purdue, is be respectful of the fact that they had a number of opportunities to pack it in, and they didn't do that,' McCaffery said. 'That's what good teams do. They make you play this way to win. And that's what makes it a good feeling for me because I just want those guys to experience what that's like. That's what you work for, that's what you prepare for to be in a game like that and band together and do what's necessary to win.'

The things that Iowa (11-7, 3-2 Big Ten) got pounded on in the first matchup the most, aside from outside shooting – rebounding, points in the paint and turnovers – were the things the Hawkeyes excelled at in the rematch.

In the Dec. 28 matchup: Purdue (14-4, 3-2) won the rebounding battle, 31-25, outscored Iowa 40-38 in the paint and forced 14 turnovers. Thursday night, Iowa won the rebounding battle, 35-28, outscored Purdue 40-20 in the paint and had just 10 turnovers.

The Hawkeyes got 29 points, eight assists and six rebounds from Peter Jok. They got 16 points and six rebounds from Tyler Cook. They got 12 points, nine assists and just one turnover from Jordan Bohannon. And they got four points and 10 rebounds from Nicholas Baer.

Former walk-on Nicholas Baer with the block on the 7-footer for the January 13, 2017

Former walk-on Nicholas Baer with the block on the 7-footer for the #Hawkeyes ! pic.twitter.com/2ANvKXOZqy

— Heavens! (@HeavensHawkeye)

Through each change of the lead and each mini-run to come back from a four or five-point deficit in the second half, one of the youngest teams in the conference played like an older group – like guys who weren't afraid to go toe-to-toe with the biggest frontcourt in the Big Ten and one of the best players in the country in Caleb Swanigan, who finished with 17 points and eight rebounds.

'We did a really good job of fighting toward the end of the game. We got stops and were able to get buckets. The thing we've got to learn from is, once we get up, not let them back in and just trade baskets. That's the next step in our development,' Cook said. 'I wish I had an answer for you (why we're fearless). I think part of the reason we gel so much (is) we're all in attack mode. Ryan is a perfect example.'

Ryan being Ryan Kriener, who came on the floor midway through the second half for his first game action since the game at Purdue. Kriener scored on back-to-back possessions right when he came in and finished with six points and two rebounds in just eight minutes.

His was a microcosm of that lack of fear that McCaffery's team has shown several times this season.

The Hawkeyes seemed emboldened by a fast start out of halftime, but extended that to shoot 66.7 percent for the whole second half and 56.7 percent from the field for the game.

Where young teams might have wilted down the stretch, Iowa rose to the occasion. On the second to last possession, and after a night in which Iowa had sent Purdue to the free throw line repeatedly – the Boilermakers shot 21 of 25 from the line – Swanigan found the ball in his hands with Cordell Pemsl on him. Swanigan, who did his thing offensively most of the game, was forced into a harder shot than he wanted by Pemsl, who then grabbed the rebound.

Great set by Purdue. Swanigan misses the bunny tho. Brutal. January 13, 2017 

Great set by Purdue. Swanigan misses the bunny tho. Brutal. pic.twitter.com/dvz3lT7sEj

— Troy Machir (@TroyMachir)

Four Bohannon and Baer free throws later, and Iowa left with the win.

Where they failed to close out the game late against Nebraska, the Hawkeyes succeeded Thursday night. There's no guarantee in this year's version of the Big Ten that what McCaffery and Co. produced will absolutely return every night, but Iowa's coach and players like their trajectory from where Big Ten play started to where it's at right now.

Hlas: This time, Hawkeye kids don't cower to Boilermakers

'I think the freshmen class are really tough guys," Jok said. Coach emphasized from the last game, they're known for their toughness, and you've got to be tough to play Purdue. We weren't tough last game. For us to win, Coach said we had to be tougher than them. From the get-go to the end, I think we were the tougher team.

"They're not playing like freshmen anymore. Coach has played them a lot. I think we're 18 games in, so you can't use being young as an excuse anymore. We've got a long way to go, but we've got experience in them now, and I'm really proud. They're going to keep going.'

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