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Iowa rallies to 79-72 win over Cincinnati

Sports

March 22nd, 2019 by admin

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Luka Garza scored 20 points, Jordan Bohannon made a three-point play during Iowa’s closing surge, and the 10th-seeded Hawkeyes kept the Big Ten perfect in the NCAA Tournament by rallying for a 79-72 victory over No. 7 seed Cincinnati on Friday. Make it 6-0 for the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes (23-11) got their first NCAA Tournament win in four years despite what amounted to a home crowd for the Bearcats, who couldn’t overcome a subpar game by Jarron Cumberland. Bohannon’s big play with 1:07 left put Iowa up 73-64. Then Bohannon, who has missed only nine free throws all season, made one of two with 18 seconds left to help finish off another Big Ten win.

The league sent eight teams into the field, the most in its history, and five of them won their opening games Thursday. Iowa was the first of three Big Ten teams playing Friday, along with Ohio State and Wisconsin. For Cincinnati (28-7), it was another early flameout. The Bearcats haven’t made it past the opening weekend for seven straight years.

The Hawkeyes were second in the league in scoring but prone to getting blown out when their shots weren’t falling. They had three losses of at least 20 points this season. This one started down that path, too. A trip to the Sweet 16 is up for grabs, as Iowa and #2 seed Tennessee are now set to clash. Tennessee earned a 77-70 win over Colgate in its most recent game, while Iowa won 79-72 against Cincinnati in its last outing. Tennessee beat Colgate 77-70. They’re 2-2 all-time, with Tennessee winning their most recent game, 78-65 in the 2014 First Four in Dayton. Tip-time for Sunday’s game is 11:10-a.m.