Iowa played one of its most efficient games of basketball in some time, but poor defense allowed the Badgers to pull away for the win.
MADISON, WI - After 20 minutes of basketball, Iowa held a 41-40 lead over rival Wisconsin.
The Hawkeyes were the underdog coming in, so even a slight halftime lead was surprising. The main question was if it could be sustained, however.
That answer was an unfortunate no for Iowa fans. The Hawkeyes allowed one of the nation's best offenses to shoot 53% from the floor, falling 84-71 at the Kohl Center on Sunday.
Senior point guard Bennett Stirtz again led Iowa with 23 points and received some help from the starting five, but it wasn't enough to out-score the Badgers.
The Hawkeyes drop to 19-8 overall and 9-7 in Big Ten play.
First Half
Each team began the game with a dunk, and that was an early indication of the speed of the contest. Bennett Stirtz has carried Iowa's scoring load for weeks, but his teammates stepped up in the early going, scoring the Hawkeyes' first 11 points.
Stirtz didn't record his first bucket until the 15:00 mark (a three-pointer), but he definitely welcomed his supporting cast playing with confidence. Iowa didn't run many successful offensive sets in its win over Nebraska, but posted an efficient 1.750 points per possession in the first 10 minutes to take an eight-point lead.
Defense was the main storyline for the Hawks, however. Missed rotations left Wisconsin shooters open on the perimeter, and it took advantage by burying four of its first eight attempts to go on an 8-0 run and take a 22-21 lead.
A 22-21 margin was the perfect microcosm of this first half. Neither team could build up much of a lead due to some high-level basketball plays (Stirtz flashed some of that for Iowa), and when a sizable lead was had, both squad was always prepared to respond.
That level of response (especially when the Hawkeyes did it) kept the Kohl Center crowd from impacting the game. When the half was finally over, Iowa held a 41-40 lead - which was impressive considering it weathered through a near six-minute field goal drought midway through the period.
Second Half
With both teams shooting over 50% in the first, the game likely would come down to which squad would cool off from the field first. It appeared Iowa was that team early on, as more defensive struggles saw Wisconsin gain a 51-44 lead.
Tate Sage and Stirtz kept the Hawkeyes in the ballgame, but Badger superstar Nick Boyd prevented Iowa from jumping in front. Boyd came in averaging 20.3 points per game, and he reached that mark by the midway point of the second half - doing so by using his speed to get to the rim.
The Badgers again upped their lead to seven (64-57) with roughly nine minutes left. A seven-point deficit with that much time left isn't hard to overcome in the modern college game, but the Hawkeyes still struggled to get over the elusive hump.
A four-minute field goal drought combined with a 10-0 Wisconsin run was the nail in the coffin for the Hawkeyes, and they left town empty-handed.
Up Next
The Hawkeyes return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 25 for a home date with Ohio State. The Buckeyes (17-10, 9-7 Big Ten) are squarely on the NCAA tournament bubble.
Tip off is set for 8 p.m. CST on Big Ten Network.