After the mini-holiday hiatus, the Iowa men’s basketball (10-3, 1-1 Big Ten) cruised to a lopsided 112-70 victory vs. New Hampshire on Monday night from Carver-Hawkeye Arena that was an expected “tune-up” game for the Hawkeyes as they close out the 2024 calendar year.
Given the exorbitant amount of scoring from the Hawkeyes, the team shot 45-for-74 (60.8%) from the floor, including 10-for-29 (34.5%) from long range. Iowa also converted on 12-of-22 (54.5%) free throw attempts on the night.
To add to the offensive explosion, Iowa also outscored the Wildcats 64 to 38 in terms of point production from within the paint and outscored New Hampshire 33 to 12 in points off turnovers.
Defensively, Iowa forced 18 total turnovers, including nine steals and seven blocks. The Hawkeyes held the Wildcats to 28-for-69 (40.6%) from the floor, including 8-for-26 (46.2%) from deep.
While the shooting numbers appear high for a team that only mustered 70 points, the turnovers and low shot volume by the Wildcats are what limited their effectiveness.
As the calendar flips to a new year, here are three Hawkeyes that stood out in Monday’s victory.
Payton Sandfort
Sandfort led the team in scoring with his performance Monday night by finishing with 15 points off 5-for-13 (38.5%) from the floor, 2-for-6 (33.3%) from long range, and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe. The senior also contributed six rebounds, two assists, and two steals in his 17 minutes played.
Given the lopsidedness of the contest, Sandford was still efficient during his limited time in action and can hopefully carry that into the Hawkeyes’ next matchup.
Seydou Traore
Traore returned from an ankle injury that had kept him out of the lineup since Dec. 12 with an impressive performance of 14 points off 6-of-10 (60%) from the floor, 1-of-3 (33.3%) from deep, and 1-for-2 (50%) from the free-throw line in 21 minutes of action. He also totaled six assists, three rebounds, three blocks, and one steal to round out his night.
Considering Monday was Traore’s first game back in the lineup, his contributions were rather promising, as Iowa hopes to utilize him more in the new calendar year.
Cooper Koch
The freshman Koch finally displayed his scoring touch during Monday’s win by finishing with 14 points off 4-of-7 (57.1%) from the floor, 3-of-6 (50%) from deep, and 3-for-4 (75%) from the free-throw line in 20 minutes of game action. The Peoria, Ill., native added three assists, three rebounds, and a lone steal to wrap up his impactful play off the bench.
Despite coming off the bench due to the out-of-hand score, Koch still showcased he can be a valuable asset no matter the situation, which is something Iowa will certainly appreciate as the schedule gets tougher.
Iowa’s next game will see a return to the Big Ten slate as the Hawkeyes travel to Kohl Center in Madison, Wisc., for a January 3 matchup vs. Wisconsin (10-3, 0-2 Big Ten).
Game time is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CT and will air on FS1. As always, the radio broadcast of the matchup will be available through the Hawkeyes Radio Network.
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