No. 9 Iowa takes down No. 4 Ohio State in Big Ten showdown
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Luka Garza had 24 points and 11 rebounds as No. 9 Iowa bounced back from a midweek loss to take down No. 4 Ohio State 73-57 on Sunday.
Dominated by No. 3 Michigan 79-57 on Thursday, the Hawkeyes pulled away in the second half.
Joe Weiskamp added 19, including 5-for-9 shooting from 3-point range, for Iowa (18-7, 12-6 Big Ten). The Hawkeyes have won five of six with two games remaining in their regular season.
E.J. Liddell had 15 points and Justice Sueing added 10 for the Buckeyes (18-7, 12-7). Recently being projected as a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed, they've lost three games in eight days.
After Liddell hit a jumper to open the game, the Buckeyes never led again.
Duane Washington Jr.'s 3-pointer cut the Iowa lead to seven points with 3:29 left in the first half, but a 10-3 Iowa run made it 42-28 at the break. Garza had 15 points in the first half, and Weiskamp had 13 on 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range.
The Buckeyes mounted a 14-2 run to open the second half and got back within two with 16:49 left. But a 3-pointer from Weiskamp and a couple of baskets in the paint by Garza got the Hawkeyes out of the danger zone and Ohio State couldn't chip away down the stretch.
BIG PICTURE
Iowa: The resilient Hawkeyes took it to Ohio State and will try to finish strong with tournament seeding in mind.
Ohio State: After losing to No. 3 Michigan at home on Feb. 21, the Buckeyes lost to unranked but surging Michigan State on Thursday because they couldn't hit shots late. They were outplayed by Iowa and likely will drop in the poll.
NO NUNGE
Iowa redshirt sophomore Jack Nunge was out after suffering a season-ending knee in Thursday’s loss to Michigan. The 6-foot-11 Nunge was the team’s leading scorer (7.1) and rebounder (5.3) off the bench. An injury to the same knee in November 2019 ended last season early for him.
YOUNG'S BACK
Ohio State F Kyle Young returned to the lineup after sitting out Thursday's loss at Michigan State with a concussion suffered when he bumped heads with a Michigan player in the Feb. 21 loss. He had three points and five rebounds.
UP NEXT
Iowa: Plays Nebraska at home on Thursday.
Ohio State: Finishes regular season against No. 5 Illinois at home on Saturday.
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