Hawks end losing skid against Spartans

The Iowa Hawkeyes needed to scratch and claw but in the end snapped a three-game losing streak with a 75-71 victory over Michigan State in Iowa City. Marcus Taylor missed a three-pointer in the final seconds that would have given the Spartans the lead and Luke Recker made two free throws with two seconds remaining to provide the winning margin. Iowa coach Steve Alford says the fans were terrific and really got the team into the game. Alford who says the Hawkeyes needed the victory. He says they’ve battled through adversity and he says that’s given them the opportunity to build character. Luke Recker opened the game on the bench but responded with 16-points. Alford says Recker could’ve hung his head, but came through when they needed him.Iowa visits Purdue on Saturday.