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Luka Garza’s 25 points lead Iowa to thrilling victory over Rutgers

Ryan Williamson

By Ryan Williamson

Published:

One of the top college basketball games on Saturday’s slate included a showdown between two ranked B1G programs: Iowa and Rutgers.

In this battle of top-15 programs, it came down to the wire but Iowa prevailed 77-75.

Once again, Luka Garza proved to be invaluable as he poured in 25 points. Each one of those points was important as the Hawkeyes eked out a two-point win in Piscataway against the Scarlet Knights.

After a 10-point first half, Garza kicked things into another gear. He added 15 points in the final 20 minutes. Those points came as Iowa suffered a blow in Saturday’s game as Connor McCaffery left with an ankle injury.

Rutgers succeeded in slowing down a Hawkeye team that averages more than 90 points per game. But what killed the Scarlet Knights was a poor day at the free-throw line. They shot just 62 percent at the line. Outside of poo free-throw shooting, Montez Mathis and Myles Johnson were bright spots with 13 points each.

Though Rutgers didn’t make key free throws, the Knights still had a chance late in Saturday’s game.

A really tough blow for Rutgers, though the Knights should be just fine. They might fall in the rankings, but that’s not a huge deal. Rutgers has a chance for redemption with a game at Michigan State on Tuesday.

As for Iowa, it’s been a good week as the Hawkeyes bounced back from a Christmas night meltdown against Minnesota. Next up, the Hawkeyes stay on the east coast as they take on Maryland on Thursday.

Ryan Williamson