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Rapid Reaction: Iowa basketball rallies for late win vs. Virginia after blowing double-digit lead
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Iowa tipped off this year’s B1G/ACC Challenge with a road trip to Virginia Monday night, and the Hawkeyes needed a last-minute bucket to escape with a win. That is after Iowa dominated the game prior to halftime.
In the first half of action, it was all Hawkeyes as the team rolled to a 44-30 lead at the break. That number is remarkable as the Cavaliers entered allowing just over 53 points per game this season. Virginia had also limited its last 2 opponents to 40 and 43 points for the game.
Unfortunately for Iowa, that lead slowly evaporated in the 2nd half as the Cavaliers stormed back. Virginia went on to take a 71-70 lead with 1:40 remaining and went back on top 74-73 after a Jordan Bohannon 3-pointer for the Hawkeyes.
In the end, Iowa would get a chance to win the game with Joe Toussaint banking in a floater with 8 seconds remaining for the 75-74 lead. A missed jumper by Virginia and a block by Patrick McCaffery on the last-second putback allowed the Hawkeyes to hang on for the win.
Key Players: Bohannon paced the Hawkeyes with a hot shooting night and a game-high 20 points on 6-for-9 shooting from 3-point range. Keegan Murray also poured in 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting to go with 9 rebounds and 3 assists. Murray had a brief injury scare after rolling his ankle in the second half, but he was able to return to action and finish the game on the floor.
Key Moment: Outside of Iowa’s brilliant first half, the key play came down to Toussaint’s game-winner. It may have been more dramatic than fans were hoping for, but it worked out alright in the end.
— Viral Hoops (@HoopsClips) November 30, 2021
Iowa is now 7-0 to start the season with a huge road trip vs. Purdue this Friday. That will be the start of B1G play for both teams.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.