In a back and forth game that saw Washington State hold a lead for a majority of the game, the Hawkeyes defensive pressure made the difference late in the second half to propel Iowa to a 76-66 win in Moline, Illinois at the Vibrant Arena. Owen Freeman played almost 30 minutes and often looked as if he was willing the Hawkeyes to victory in a return to his hometown. The Moline native had three dunks, 21 points and 11 rebounds in a dominating performance.
The crowd of 8488 cheered, chanted and screamed their support for a Hawkeye defense that forced Washington State turnovers in the games last five minutes. Iowa limited the Cougars to 34.4% from the field and 17.9% on three point attempts. For a team known for scoring and defensive lapses, Fran McCaffery’s crew looked solid on defense and won the game going away after 16 lead changes and nine ties.
The Hawkeyes trailed by nine with 5:04 left in the first half but rallied back to go into halftime only down 36-33. In the second half Freeman, the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year, took over on both sides of the ball, leading Iowa to the comeback victory. Iowa probably doesn’t win the game also without Morehead State transfer Drew Thelwell. In the final four minutes he added two clutch three pointers and a free throw that put the Hawkeyes in front to stay.
