Free throws helped decide Iowa’s first real test of the season, and they didn’t go the Hawkeyes’ way.
Virginia Tech outlasted Iowa 93-88 in overtime Tuesday night at Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, pulling away late in front of 6,086 Western Iowa Hawkeye fans. Iowa finished 31 of 47 at the line, part of a broader night of missed chances that left Ben McCollum pointing to execution on both ends.
“You make the point-blank layups, make a couple free throws, you win the game,” McCollum told reporters postgame. “You know, if you take away a few of their free throws, you win the game.”
The numbers told a blunt story. There were 80 total free throws in the game, and Virginia Tech went 26 of 33. Iowa is now 56 of 92 from the stripe overall through its first three regular-season games, a 61 percent clip.
The Hokies also kept finding seams off the dribble, especially through guards Ben Hammond and Jaylen Curry. Hammond poured in a career-high 32 points, then was whistled for a foul when he slapped a driving Ty’Reek Coleman on the arm as the Illinois State transfer rose for a jumper with 1.4 seconds left in regulation.
Coleman made the first free throw to tie the game at 79, then missed the second with a chance to finish it. He ended with 20 points and repeatedly hurt Iowa by getting downhill.
Curry did plenty of damage too, scoring 23 of his 25 points in the second half and overtime. One of his biggest moments came when he banked in a 3-pointer from out front to give Tech a two-score cushion.
For McCollum, the defensive breakdowns were the bigger issue than anything Iowa did on offense.
“Offense was not the problem. It was the defense,” McCollum said.
“It was as soft as it gets. We just let them drive.
I don’t know why we were scared.”
He said Iowa’s help and switching hurt the team more than it helped.
“Our deal was you do not leave the ball, and we left the ball every possession,” he said. “And maybe that's just not communicating the right way.
It's playing with fear rather than aggression. We left the ball.
Like we consistently left the ball. It's the same ball screen over and over.
One, two. We were also supposed to trap the one kid and we didn’t.
“So it's just a lack of execution. Serious lack of execution.”
Even in defeat, Iowa had some strong individual performances.
Cooper Koch turned in a career night with 26 points, showing a more physical offensive game by backing down smaller defenders and finishing inside or drawing contact. He went 15 of 17 at the line.
“Coop was excellent,” McCollum said. “He was good. He put us on his back.”
“Every game is a learning experience,” Koch said postgame. “We know that we made a lot of mistakes at the start of the game and the game, and over time those are fixes we’ve got to make in practice.”
Isaia Howard added a double-double with 13 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, helping Iowa to a 40-26 advantage on the glass. His energy was a major factor throughout the night.
“I was just ready to play,” Howard said. “You know, just another game this season, the start of the season, so why not bring energy?
Why not be ready to play? We play basketball every day, so I mean, it's pretty fun.
So why would I not do it?
Drew McKeever also made his first appearance in a real game for Iowa. The 7-foot-3 center had missed the lopsided wins over Lipscomb and Eastern Illinois because of a bad back, and he didn’t start Tuesday. He played 10 minutes, scored five points and went 1 of 5 from the free-throw line.
“Good to get out there with the guys,” McKeever said. ”But obviously not the way we wanted to end it. You learn from it.”
Iowa’s next chance comes Sunday against Creighton at Casey’s Center in Des Moines, another neutral-site game.
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