By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Senior Day turned into quite a night for Iowa sophomore point guard Jordan Bohannon.

Just four days after being held scoreless in a loss at Minnesota, Bohannon torched Northwestern for seven 3-point baskets and scored 25 points to lead Iowa to a 77-70 victory on Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

But it was his missed free-throw attempt late in the second half that created the most buzz because of the unique circumstances surrounding it.

Bohannon had a chance to break Chris Street's school record of 34 consecutive made free throws when he missed on purpose with Iowa leading 73-65 to assure that Street's name stayed connected to the record.

"Obviously, that was something I had on my mind the past couple games, actually the past couple months because I haven't really gotten to the free throw line that often these past few months," Bohannon said. "But I talked to my brother a little and we had kind of the same agreement that it wasn't my record to have."

Northwestern was in the midst of a comeback when Bohannon's free throw barely scraped the front of the rim. He pointed to the sky before shooting the free throw as a tribute to Street, a former Hawkeye star forward who was killed in an autombile accident midway through his junior season in 1993.

Bohannon also shared a moment with Street's parents, Mike and Patty, after the game.

"Obviously, I wanted to do it at a different time," Bohannon said. "It wasn't the greatest time. I didn't think coach would be too happy at the moment. But he knew that life was obviously much more bigger than basketball."

Bohannon's decision to miss the free throw was as classy as it was unselfish. And it'll probably be remembered more than if he had made the free throw to break Street's record.

But that's not why Bohannon missed on purpose. He missed out of respect for a Hawkeye legend whose life was cut far too short.  

Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said he wasn't surprised that Bohannon missed the free throw on purpose because Bohannon knows how important Street's legacy is to the Iowa program.

"I thought about discussing it with him, but I left it up to him," McCaffery said. "That's what he chose to do. I think it's awesome. I really do."

Iowa freshman center Luka Garza had a similar response to Bohannon's decision to miss the free throw on purpose.

"For me, I thought he was going to make it because of the point in the game," Garza said. "But that's the kind of guy he is. To make a move like that, especially in a game like this, it's something that I'm going to remember forever, being there and seeing him miss that on purpose. He wasn't going to miss that if he wanted to make it. I was in awe of the move. It was tremendous."

The game started with Iowa's two seniors, Dom Uhl and Charlie Rose, being honored before the opening tip and it ended with Bohannon honoring Street's parents. 

Iowa needed every one of Bohannon seven 3-point baskets to prevail as Northwestern sliced a 22-point lead to just eight points late in the second half.

Northwestern senior guard Scottie Lindsey actually outdueled Bohannon from 3-point range and tied the record for most 3-pointers in Carver-Hawkeye Arena with nine.

Iowa finished the regular season with records of 4-14 in conference play and 13-18 overall. The Hawkeyes will be seeded 12^th in the Big Ten Tournament and will face No. 13 seed Illinois on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in the first round at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

With Sunday’s victory, Iowa snapped a six-game losing streak and avoided setting the school record for most losses in a season. The Hawkeyes also gained some much-needed momentum heading into the conference tournament.

"It feels good heading to New York off a (win)," McCaffery said. "But it doesn't get any easier. You remember the last time we played Illinois. It was not an easy game by any means."

Iowa defeated Illinois 104-97 in overtime on Jan. 11 in Champaign, Ill.

Bohannon made all 10 of his free throw attempts in that game, along with five 3-point baskets.

The former Linn-Mar star also made his final two free throws with 50.5 seconds left in Sunday's game to help secure the victory.

Iowa would have to win five games in five days to win the conference tournament for the first time since 2006. That would also guarantee the Hawkeyes a spot in the NCAA Tournament..

It would take nothing short of a miracle, but the players have nothing else to fall back on at this stage of what has been a disastrous season.

The season hasn’t been much better for the depleted Wildcats, who finished the regular season 6-12 in conference play and 15-16 overall.

Northwestern played without star senior Vic Law on Sunday due to an injury, while starting point guard Bryant McIntosh only played seven minutes because of a shoulder injury.

"For us, we are a mash unit right now," said Northwesern coach Chris Collins. "We are down six guys. Give Iowa credit. I thought they had great energy, certainly Jordan was on fire going six-for-nine from three in the first half."

Collins also praised Bohannon for missing the potential record-breaking free throw.

Collins was hosted by Street on his offical visit to Iowa in the early 1990s and they became close friends even though Collins signed with Duke.

"That's a heck of thing, which is great," Collins said.

The Wildcats were expected to contend for a Big Ten title with four returning starters from a team that made the first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history last season.

Iowa also was thought to be worthy of NCAA consideration with four returning starters from a team that won 19 games last season and barely missed making the NCAA Tournament.

The Hawkeyes are a long-shot to win the conference tournament, but there still is an opportunity to do something positive.

"I want to see them be more consistent at both ends of the floor, which is kind of what i've been saying all year long," McCaffery said. "But that doesn't mean I expect perfection. You can win with nine turnovers. You don't want to have seventeen."

Bohannon led four Iowa players in double figures in Sunday's game. Garza finished with 18 points, while sophomore forward Tyler Cook scored 14 points and sophomore guard Isaiah Moss finished with 12.

Cook made a conventional 3-point play that expanded Iowa's lead to 71-56 with 4:38 remaining.

Bohannon missed his first two attempts from 3-point range on Sunday and had missed 15 of his previous 18 attempts from three when he finally drained one with 12:23 left in the first half.

He was just getting started.

Bohannon would go on to make six consecutive 3-pointers in the first half. His sixth trey expanded Iowa’s lead to 43-21 with 4:44 left in the first half.

He also made both of his free throws in the first half to tie Street’s school record of 34 consecutive made free throws.

Iowa shredded the Wildcats from perimeter in the first half, making 9-of-19 3-point shots. The Hawkeyes also made 10-of-11 free throw attempts in the first half and had a 20-12 advantage on the boards.

Bohannon made Iowa's only 3-point basket in the second half, while Northwestern made nine treys during the final 20-minute session.

Both teams combined to make 23 3-point baskets, but it was Bohannon's one missed free throw that stood out more than anything.

Bohannon was born in June 1997 and more than four years after Street's death. Bohannon still feels a strong connection, though, thanks to Street's parents, who still attend most of Iowa's home games and are close with the current players.

"All these years later for him to have that impact still it just gets me a little emotional knowing what one player can do for an entire state, the entire Midwest, honestly, and the entire country," Bohannon said.