Iowa basketball (8-3, 1-1 Big Ten) bounced back from Thursday’s loss against No. 3 Iowa State with a thorough 104-57 thrashing vs. New Orleans (2-7, 0-1 Southland Conference) from Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday evening.
As expected, the game was never close as the Hawkeyes shot a season-high 42-for-67 (62.7%) from the floor, 14-for-29 (48.3%) from 3-point range, and 6-of-9 (66.6%) from the free throw line. Iowa also outscored the Privateers 46-38 from within the paint and 38-6 on fastbreak points.
Defensively, Iowa forced 15 total turnovers with 11 blocks and nine steals while holding New Orleans to 25-of-67 (37.3%) shooting from the floor and 4-of-24 (16.7%) from deep.
Sunday’s triumph is the largest margin of victory for the Hawkeyes since their 109-61 win over Western Michigan in 2021.
As Iowa got back in their offensive groove, here are three Hawkeyes that stood out during the landslide victory.
Owen Freeman
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Freeman led the team offensively by tying a career-high in points with 22 on a season-best 10-for-12 (83.3 percent) shooting and 2-for-3 (66.6%) from the charity stripe. The sophomore forward also recorded four rebounds, three blocks, two assists, and one steal in his 19 minutes of playing time.
Sunday was his second 20-point game of the season and the fourth of his career, which should not surprise anybody as Freeman has blossomed into a bonafide scoring threat down low for the Hawkeyes over his 43-game career.
Brock Harding
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Harding had a solid game against New Orleans by finishing with 13 points on 5-of-6 (83.3%) shooting from the floor and 3-for-3 from deep. The Moline, Ill, product also tallied six assists, one block, and one steal in 20 minutes.
Harding made his first five shots, including three 3-pointers, to open the game and scored or assisted on seven of Iowa’s first eight field goals. The performance from the sophomore guard is also his seventh game with at least six assists.
Payton Sandfort
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Sandfort had another fabulous game Sunday evening by posting 15 points on 5-of-8 (62.5%) shooting from the field and 3-of-4 (75%) from beyond the arc. The senior forward added five rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block during his 20 minutes of play.
Sandfort’s hot night from deep extends his streak of three or more…
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