01/03/2021
No. 12 Iowa makes statement with big win at No. 5 Ohio State
COLUMBUS, Ohio — In undeniably their most important game of the season, the Iowa Hawkeyes leaned heavily on their two best players.
This was a team effort, to be sure, but every time the Hawkeyes needed a bucket in Value City Arena, Luka Garza and Joe Wieskamp were there.
Garza, the all-American center and Wooden Award favorite, poured in 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Wieskamp, the Jerry West Award finalist, rained in five clutch 3-pointers and finished with 19. Together, they led a stirring 73-57 win against fifth-ranked Ohio State — a major statement in a significant game in the Big Ten Conference standings.
The 12th-ranked Hawkeyes improved to 18-7 overall, 12-6 in Big Ten play with their best win of the season.
Ohio State showed why it’s been projected as a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed before this week. The Buckeyes roared out of the halftime locker room to cut a 42-28 deficit to 44-42 — scoring 14 points on six rapid-fire possessions.
Garza quieted things down, scoring two big ones off a feed from Jordan Bohannon. Then, out of a timeout, Wieskamp buried a 3-pointer from the left wing — just in front of Iowa’s bench — for a 49-42 lead. A subsequent Garza bucket gave Iowa a nine-point lead and seemed to restore its authority in this game that was apparent from the early going.
Iowa center Luka Garza goes to the basket as Ohio State guard Duane Washington Jr. defends during the first half at Value City Arena.
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What may have been most impressive about this win was that the Hawkeyes never withered under the pressure. In fact, they were the delivering the pressure. The Hawkeyes forced 13 turnovers while committing just five of their own.
Maybe the biggest shot of the game was Wieskamp's fifth and final 3, again in front of Iowa's bench, to go up 64-51 with 7:59 to go. That seemed to take the wind out of Ohio State, and only embolden the Hawkeyes.
Jordan Bohannon sets Iowa’s all-time assists record
The play, drawn up out of a timeout, was perfectly executed and fitting of the record. Bohannon dribbled to his right, and fellow Iowa native Wieskamp faked a back-door cut and circled back around a screen from Garza to spot up on the left wing. Bohannon found him cleanly, and Wieskamp buried the trey for a 37-25 lead.
That marked the 613th assist of Bohannon’s Hawkeye career, allowing the fifth-year senior to move past Jeff Horner for No. 1 all-time at Iowa. The record was a testament to Bohannon's durability as much as anything. He was playing in his 137th game; Horner played in 123. Bohannon has been cranking out assists since his freshman season of 2016-17, when he had 175 of them.
Hawkeyes columnist Chad Leistikow has covered sports for 26 years with The Des Moines Register, USA TODAY and Iowa City Press-Citizen. Follow on Twitter.
“Jordan Bohannon is the all-time assist leader in Iowa Basketball history! | https://t.co/hZRX2SVSz0”