Iowa men’s basketball escapes Rutgers, 68-62, in a Tuesday night victory

IOWA CITY — It was close to silent in Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Tuesday night. The student section, back from winter break, watched Iowa men’s basketball in confusion to why Iowa struggled to play the way it had against Illinois just three games ago.

And then Tate Sage happened.

The Hawkeyes’ true freshman guard had been described as “fearless” by McCollum all season long. He’d seen an increase in playing time throughout nonconference play, becoming a key reserve off the Hawkeye bench.

Sage’s career-high 16 points and “fearless” mentality became a catalyst in keeping Iowa alive in its 68-62 win against Rutgers Tuesday night.

“He was huge,” Guard Isaia Howard said. “He shot the ball really well. We’ve seen that in practice a lot, and in a couple games. But for him to see more than a couple go in during a game, it was really good for his confidence.”

Those anticipating an exhilarating basketball game from the tipoff on Tuesday night weren’t thrilled with the opening pace, though.

A sluggish and stagnant Iowa men’s basketball team faced Rutgers Tuesday night, a team who’s drifted toward the bottom of the Big Ten. But Hawkeye head coach Ben McCollum heeded a warning before the evening affair: just because the Scarlet Knights don’t have the resume of a Purdue or Michigan State, that doesn’t mean Iowa can float by.

“I was worried about this game going in,” McCollum said. “Just because it’s a weird matchup for us, because they kind of drive into it the crowd sometimes.”

The Scarlet Knights brought their infamous axe with them, starting both halves with early triples. Rutgers’ defense barely let the Hawkeyes set up first actions, let alone a second or third action.

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McCollum, pacing along the sidelines like normal, kept motioning for Iowa to speed up its pace. Small forward Tavion Banks was the only Hawkeye who could score in the first five minutes.

What did save Iowa early, however, was turnovers. Rutgers had 12 turnovers in the first half, with the Hawkeyes scoring 13 points off the turnovers. Iowa took an seven-point halftime lead into the locker room all thanks to a 13-3 run late in the first half.

Rutgers wiped that lead away with a 9-0 run to start the second half.

Back-and-forth passing along the perimeter further stalled Iowa’s already clunky offense, allowing Rutgers to sneakily find ways to respond with a basket or two of its own.

Even then, Rutgers’ only multi-possession lead was midway through the first half — just a five-point difference at the time. The Scarlet Knights’ Tariq Francis and Darren Buchanan Jr. led the way as the only two Rutgers players in double figures, scoring 15 and 17, respectively.

Sage scored nine points in the second half, including two pristinely, well-timed triples that gave Iowa exactly what it needed: a spark. Eventually guard Bennett Stirtz found his rhythm, finishing the game with a game-high 20 points, after starting the contest 0-4 from the field.

Sage and Bennett’s efforts complemented each other, even with the Scarlet Knight’s man-to-man defense smothering the paint.

Tavion Banks was the third Hawkeye in double figures, recording 12 points and two rebounds. Howard recorded a team-high eight rebounds in the win as well.

In some cases, it’s best to flush out the mid-game frustrations that plagued Iowa’s offense. But at the end of the night, the Hawkeye survived the axe and won their final game before a week-long break.

“We’re gonna practice because we need to get better,” McCollum said. “This’ll be a great opportunity for us to grow and get better.”

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