Iowa escapes with 71-62 win over Eastern Illinois

A late flurry by sophomore guard Jeff Horner allowed the Iowa Hawkeyes to avoid an upset at the hands of Eastern Illinois. Horner’s free throw with just over two and a half minutes remaining snapped a 60-all tie and 30 seconds later, he buried a three pointer from the left wing as the Hawkeyes claimed a 71-62 win in Iowa City. Iowa coach Steve Alford says it wasn’t his team’s best game, but “the guys really played hard, they gave good effort — it wasn’t always intelligent effort.” Alford says given some of the other results from Tuesday night (Michigan and Missouri were each upset), he’s just happy to get the win. Alford held three Hawkeyes out, Eric Hansen, Nick Dewitz and Mike Henderson, amid questions saurrondeing their academic status for the second semester. Alford says he’s “not pleased with what they’ve done through the first semester” and he held them out of the game to show them he’s not happy with their effort. Alford says none, at this point, is technically ineligible due to grades, but they have failed to live up to the “locker room standard” Alford says he’s established. Iowa returns to action Saturday at Missouri.