HUSKER MEN’S BASKETBALL: No. 24 Nebraska Suffers Second Straight Road Loss, Falls At No. 25 Iowa
By LUKE MEREDITH
AP Sports Writer
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Jordan Bohannon scored a season-high 25 points, Tyler Cook had 16 and 25th-ranked Iowa beat No. 24 Nebraska 93-84 on Sunday, snapping a three-game losing streak to open Big Ten play.
Ryan Kriener added 14 points in his first career start for the Hawkeyes (12-3, 1-3). They shot 29 of 32 from the free throw line in holding off the Huskers (11-4, 1-3).
Nebraska, which shot 37.8 percent on 3s entering play, was a dismal 4 of 23 beyond the arc.
Bohannon, on the other hand, kept hitting 3s that kept the Huskers at bay.
Bohannon’s banked 3, his first basket of the game, gave Iowa a 44-40 lead at halftime. Bohannon drilled another 3 to help slow Nebraska’s momentum and push Iowa’s edge back up to 72-63 – and he did the same after the Huskers got within 72-68.
Bohannon’s final 3, with 2:03 left, gave Iowa an 83-75 lead.
Isaac Copeland had 24 points to lead Nebraska. James Palmer Jr. scored 20 points, but Iowa held the Big Ten’s second-leading scorer without a point for the opening 18 minutes.
THE BIG PICTURE
Iowa: After missing three games with a sprained ankle, sophomore center Luka Garza checked in with 11:59 in the first half. It was a welcome sight for the Hawkeyes, who’ve desperately missed the big man’s presence in the post. Garza had eight points in 10 minutes.
Nebraska: The problem with blowing winnable road games, as the Huskers did against Minnesota and Maryland, is that it leaves less of a cushion for those times when shots just won’t go down on the road. Ironically, Nebraska kept it close by hitting 20 free throws.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
It’s possible, if not probable, that both teams will drop out of the poll on Monday after losing to unranked teams this week.
UP NEXT
Nebraska: Hosts Penn State on Thursday night.
Iowa: At Northwestern on Wednesday night.