Iowa led by 11 points in the first half, but couldn’t hold on, as Purdue beat the Hawkeyes 75-68 last night in West Lafayette, Indiana. Iowa coach Fran McCaffery was pleased with his team’s play in the first half. “I thought at the start of the game we knew it was going to be a physical game and I thought we handled that well,” McCaffery said.
The Hawkeyes were plagued by nine turnovers and poor shooting in the 2nd half. Robbie Hummel led Purdue with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Iowa was led by Zach McCabe, who scored a career high 20 points. The Hawkeyes enter a week-long break with a 3-4 mark in the Big Ten.
“Realistically you look at some things and obviously some terrific wins, two real good road wins, a couple ranked opponents we beat but never satisifed at 3-4,” McCaffery says.
Purdue also beat Iowa 79-76 in Iowa City on December 28. The Hawkeyes first seven Big Ten games included four road trips over a three-week stretch. “It was a long stretch, but I don’t mind the grind when it is over break,” McCaffery said.
Iowa’s next game is at home on Thursday, January 26 against Nebraska.