The Iowa Hawkeyes could not finish off Purdue in regulation and it cost them. Trailing by three in the final minute the Boilermakers rallied to force overtime then won it 65-62. It spoiled a late comeback by the Hawks that saw them roar back from an 11 point deficit in the final eight minutes.
Iowa coach Fran McCaffery says a lot of teams would have given up, but they just kept coming back, but unfortunately couldn’t close it out by hitting their free throws. The Hawks had a chance to win it in regulation but Roy Devyn Marble misfired at the end of regulation.
“We wanted Marble going to the basket, you know we’re in the bonus…I though he got a good look at it, it got tipped, and unfortunately it didn’t go in,” McCafferey says of the play.
Mike Gessell led Iowa with 18 points while Melsahn Basabe, Aaron White and Marble each had 12 as the Hawks overcame a horrid start on offense in which they made only four of 26 shots in the opening half.
Iowa falls to 2-5 in the Big Ten and will return to action on Thursday night at home against Penn State.