The Iowa Hawkeyes fell to 11th ranked Indiana in their Big Ten opener but not before Justin Johnson nearly rallied the Hawks from a 13- point deficit. The senior guard scored 19 of his career high 29 points in the final minute-54, including six three pointers, but the Hoosiers held on for a 79-76 win. Johnson says it came down to losing by three, and that’s too bad.
Free throw shooting may have been the biggest factor as the Hawkeyes made just 15-of-25 from the line. Johnson says they can’t miss that many free throws and expect to win, he says making more free throws would have made a big difference.
The Hawkeyes played hard despite being short handed. Freshman guard Jake Kelly left the game in the first few minutes and did not return.
Hawkeye coach Todd Lickliter says he’s never played or coached in a game to get close, and he felt if they could stay away from their weaknesses and play to their strengths they could win. Lickliter says for a percentage of the time they played with and above the Hoosiers, but just couldn’t sustain it. Iowa falls to 7-7.