Field Level Media
Dec 21, 2021
Keegan Murray had 20 points and 10 rebounds and Iowa built a 20-point first-half lead on its way to a 93-62 nonconference victory against Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday night in Iowa City.
Murray, who scored a career-high 35 points in a 94-75 victory against Utah State on Saturday, made eight of 13 field-goal attempts.
Patrick McCaffery added 16 points, Jordan Bohannon 13 and Payton Sandfort 10 for the Hawkeyes (9-3), who won their second straight after a three-game losing streak.
Joe Kasperzyk scored 14 points, Gus Okafor added 12 and Jalyn Hinton 11 to lead the Lions (4-9), who lost their fourth straight to conclude a five-game road trip.
Iowa had a 50-32 rebounding edge, and its reserves outscored Southeastern Louisiana's 34-14. The Hawkeyes improved to 7-1 at home, and the Lions fell to 1-7 on the road.
Hinton made a layup to start the second-half scoring and pull the Lions within 12 points, but Murray made three consecutive baskets to give the Hawkeyes a 50-32 lead.
Kasperzyk converted a three-point play and Ryan Burkhardt added a layup to get Southeastern Louisiana back within 13.
Murray scored eight points during a 17-5 run that extended Iowa's lead to 67-42 with 11:59 left in the game.
Hinton answered with a three-point play, but Murray followed with a dunk and the Hawkeyes, who never trailed, led by as many as 37 points down the stretch.
The Lions shot 36.7 percent from the floor, including 36.4 percent on 3-pointers, and 58.8 percent on free throws.
Murray converted a three-point play and Bohannon made back-to-back 3-pointers as the Hawkeyes took a 9-3 lead.
Iowa increased the lead to 12 points before Kasperzyk made a layup and assisted on a layup by Jalyn Hinton that pulled Southeastern Louisiana within 28-19.
Sandfort scored eight points in an 11-3 run by the Hawkeyes to boost the lead to 20.
Okafor and Burkhardt each made a 3-pointer as the Lions reduced the lead to 44-30 at halftime.
--Field Level Media