Payton Sandfort, Tony Perkins combine for 50 points in Iowa’s 88-78 win at Michigan
By Pat Harty
It wouldn’t be overstating it to say that Iowa and Michigan both entered Saturday’s game in Ann Arbor, Michigan desperate for a win.
Iowa had lost two Big Ten games in a row at home, and then also had lost to Michigan on Dec. 10th at home by 10 points, while Michigan had lost two straight and seven of its last eight games.
This was a matchup between two teams heading in the wrong direction, and that neither could afford to lose.
By the time it was over, the Iowa players were feeling reenergized as the Hawkeyes prevailed 88-78, improving to 12-8 overall and 4-5 in Big Ten.
Iowa will remain on the road with a game at Indiana on Tuesday.
Iowa senior guard Tony Perkins continues to perform at a high level as he scored 24 points, marking his third straight game with at least 20 points. The Indianapolis native also became the 52nd Iowa player to score 1,000 points in a career.
But it was junior forward Payton Sandfort who led the second-half surge as he matched his career-high with 26 points, including 21 in the second half. He also led Iowa with six three-point baskets.
Sandfort was so hot from the field in the second half that he blew a kiss to the Michigan fans after making one of his six 3-point baskets.
This was a conference road game that Iowa needed to win to stay within striking distance, and thanks largely to Perkins and Payton Sandfort, it was mission accomplished.
Payton Sandfort, a 6-foot-7 Waukee native, is a streaky shooter, and this was one of the good days when the basket looked bigger than the Big House as he made six of his eight attempts from 3-point range.
He and Perkins combined for 50 of Iowa’s points, and freshman forward Owen Freeman chipped in with 15.
Iowa trailed 44-42 at halftime, but it could’ve been worse as Michigan led by nine points (36-27) with 5:37 left in the first half.
Iowa closed the first half on a 10-2 scoring run, and Perkins helped lead the rally as he scored a team-high 11 points in the first half on 5-of-7 shooting from the field.
Both teams only had three turnovers apiece in the first half, but Iowa had just six assists on its 16 baskets in the first half, while Michigan had 11 assists on its 18 first-half baskets.
Michigan shot a blistering 58.1 percent in the first half, while Iowa shot 51.6 percent.
Both teams also had eight players that scored at least one point in the first half.
Iowa fell behind by nine points in the first half, but instead of wilting under the pressure, Perkins and his cohorts chipped away at the deficit and gave themselves a chance to win against a struggling team heading into the second half.
Iowa then started the second half on an 8-0 scoring run, causing Michigan coach Juwan Howard to call a timeout with his team trailing 50-44 with 17:43 left to play.
Iowa was on an 18-2 scoring run dating back to the first half when Howard called timeout.
It didn’t matter, though, as Perkins and Payton Sandfort weren’t to be denied.