Iowa opens Maui tourney with upset win

The Iowa basketball team opened the Maui Invitational with a 76-71 win over 13th ranked Louisville on Monday. The Hawkeyes took command with a 15-3 run mid-way through the second half. Coach Steve Alford says they played “so doggone hard” and held Louisville to 26-percent shooting. He says center Eric Hansen led a strong defensive effort in the paint in the second half. He says in the first half when his “bigs” got into foul trouble Louisville was getting momentum and confidence that they could go inside. But he says in the second half his team did a good job of protecting the paint. Alford says the Hawkeyes showed a lot of good signs and he says that’s why they’re playing these games to get a read on where they are. He says they passed the litmus test when it comes to conditioning and toughness after coming from behind. Iowa plays Texas in Tuesday’s semifinal round.