Bennett Stirtz had a career day, and Brendan Hausen produced his best game in a Hawkeye uniform.
After a roller coaster win over USC on Wednesday, Iowa basketball decided to give its fans' hearts a break on Sunday, rolling to an 84-66 victory over the struggling Oregon Ducks at Matthew Night Arena.
Iowa (16-5, 6-4) has now won four straight after suffering a three-game losing streak in mid-January, while the injury-riddled Ducks (8-14, 1-10) have lost eight in a row.
Here are three observations from the Hawkeyes' win:
Career day for Stirtz
Bennett Stirtz has been the straw that has stirred Iowa's drink throughout the season, and that was exactly the case on Sunday.
Whenever Stirtz wanted a bucket, he got one. His 11 points helped the Hawkeyes jump out to a nine-point at halftime, but the second half was all Stirtz. His teammates had a tough time scoring the ball early in the period, but they didn't have to worry about it because Stirtz was there to carry the load.
Stirtz's jumper remained pure (he was 4/6 from three) but what got him going in the second was his work down low. It's rare for a point guard to dominant inside, but the 6-foot-4 Stirtz read Oregon's defense like a book and diced them up with superior backdoor cutting, which really helped Iowa stay 5-6 points ahead until it broke through late.
Stirtz finished with a new career-high of 32 points along with a team-high seven assists. It was his first 30-point outing of the season.
Hausen earns quality minutes
Brendan Hausen's role on this Iowa team (or lack thereof) has been an interesting storyline to follow this year. Head coach Ben McCollum praised Hausen's strong work in practice before the Oregon game, and that persistence led to Hausen's best game in a Hawkeye uniform.
Hausen hadn't registered over 10 minutes of action in a conference game this year, but that changed on Sunday. McCollum inserted Hausen into the game midway through the first quarter, and the senior responded by playing 16 minutes and scoring 11 points - only the third time he's collected 10 or more points all season.
Not only was Hausen effective on offense, he flustered the Ducks with his strong activity on defense, and even forced them to burn an additional timeout in the first half by suffocating an inbounds play.
Hausen's ridiculous three-point shooting range alone should be enough to keep him on the floor, but if he can continue to play tenacious defense, expect him to play a pivotal role off the bench moving forward.
Banks gets injured
As Iowa unleashed its second half torrent, a notable name was absent from the floor - Tavion Banks. The senior has been one of the Hawkeyes' top players this year, and is the second-leading scorer behind Stirtz.
Banks scored the game's first two points, but only recorded 11 minutes of action against the Ducks - netting four points and two boards. McCollum confirmed after the game that Banks is battling with an injury, telling Tyler Tachman of The Des Moines Register that Banks is "dealing with some stuff."
The coach didn't elaborate on the injury, but did add that Iowa hopes to "get him back healthy." Losing Banks for any length of time would be a big blow to the Hawkeyes, especially with a Quadrant 1 game at Washington on the horizon.
Up Next
Iowa closes its Pacific Northwest roadtrip on Wednesday, Feb. 4 at Washington. The Huskies (12-10, 4-7) have battled injuries all season, but have been a tough out in Big Ten play in recent weeks, taking No. 9 Illinois down to the wire in Champaign.
Tip off from Seattle is set for 10 p.m. CST on Big Ten Network.
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