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Bohannon, No. 25 Iowa beat No. 24 Nebraska 93-84

Sports

January 7th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — In a game that Iowa simply had to have, junior Jordan Bohannon carried the 25th-ranked Hawkeyes with one of the best halves of his career. Bohannon scored 22 of his season-high 25 points in the second half, Tyler Cook had 16 points and 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 one-handed banked 3, his first basket of the game, gave Iowa a 44-40 lead at the halftime buzzer. 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. He finished 5 of 8 on 3s, hit all 10 of his free throws and added five assists.

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. “It gives us another offensive weapon inside. It gives us a post presence defensively,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said.

It’s possible, if not probable, that both teams will drop out of the poll today) Monday after losing to unranked teams this week. UP NEXT: Iowa is at Northwestern on Wednesday night.