Hawkeyes Reach Elite 8 in Thrilling Advance
Ninth-seeded Iowa defeated fourth-seeded Nebraska 77-71 at the Toyota Center in Houston on Thursday night. The win sends the Hawkeyes to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1987.
Game recap
Nebraska opened on a 12-2 run, forcing an early Iowa timeout. Iowa responded with four straight field goals to narrow the gap.
The Huskers then pushed the lead back to nine with two 3-pointers. Trailing by 10 with five minutes left in the first half, Iowa hit back-to-back threes to cut the deficit to two.
Nebraska answered with a 6-0 spurt. Freshman Tate Sage sank a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer, sending the teams to the locker room with Nebraska ahead 46-43.
In the second half, Iowa tied the game at 50-50 and again at 53-53. The Cornhuskers held the lead until five minutes remained, when Alvaro Folgueiras drilled a 3 to make it 65-65.
After a cold stretch, senior Bennett Stirtz hit a buzzer-beating 3 as the shot clock expired. Sage followed with another long-range make to push the lead to six with about 80 seconds left.
Nebraska answered from distance, but Folgueiras scored the next five points. Those late baskets closed out a 77-71 victory for Iowa.
Key performances
Iowa leaders
- Bennett Stirtz: 20 points, 7-of-15 shooting, four assists, played 40 minutes.
- Tate Sage: Career-high 19 points and eight rebounds. Shot 6-of-10 overall and 4-of-7 from three.
- Alvaro Folgueiras: 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including late-game scoring.
- Cooper Koch (redshirt freshman): 11 points, five rebounds, two steals.
Team numbers
| Iowa field goal percentage | 27-of-52 (51.9%) |
| Three-point shooting | 13-of-30 (43.3%) |
| Free throws | 10-of-12 (83.3%) |
| First-half shooting | 15-of-25 (60.0%), 7-of-11 from three |
| Bench points | Iowa 38, Nebraska 20 |
| Turnovers turned into points | 10 Nebraska turnovers led to 20 Iowa points |
Filmogaz.com notes the Hawkeyes’ thrilling advance to the Elite 8. The program reached the regional semifinal for the first time in nearly four decades.
