By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa sophomore forward Pryce Sandfort did a pretty good impersonation of his more celebrated older brother in Thursday’s 89-74 victory over Southern University at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Pryce Sandfort made six of Iowa’s 18 3-point baskets and finished with a career-high 22 points in the second game of the Kenny Arnold Classic.

Pryce’s older older brother, senior forward Payton Sandfort, also did his share by making four 3-point baskets, scoring 17 points and finishing with eight rebounds.

But on this night, the spotlight belonged to his younger brother for a change.

“It feels really good,” Pryce Sandfort said. “I’d say it’s been a little bit since I felt like that hitting that many threes.”

Pryce Sandfort was asked when was the last time he was that hot from 3-point range.

“Senior year of high school, probably, he said. “Or practice, I guess practice. I’ve been in a zone for practice. But in a game, it’s been a while.”

Iowa fell just two threes short of tying the program record for most threes in a game at 20.

Payton Sandfort is considered one of the top players in the Big Ten and one of the best 3-point shooters in the conference. The 6-foot-7 forward from Waukee made third-team All-Big Ten last season and was named to the 2024-25 John R. Wooden Preseason Watch List this week.

Payton Sandfort also tested the NBA draft process this past spring and summer before deciding to return for his senior season.

Pryce Sandfort was also asked after Thursday’s victory if he planned to tease his older brother about stealing the spotlight from him.

“I don’t think I can do that,” Pryce Sandfort said. “He’s had too many games like that, double-double every night. So, I don’t think I can give him too much grief about that.”

Even with Iowa torching the nets from three, the pesky Jaguars wouldn’t go away.

Iowa led 89-64, but Southern closed the game with a 10-0 scoring run, much to the disappointment of sophomore forward Owen Freeman, who finished with 15 points and eight rebounds. The athletic Jaguars also outscored Iowa 48-28 in the paint.

“We need to take some more pride in getting stops,” Freeman said.

Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery when told that Freeman had called out the defensive effort down the stretch took the criticism even further.

“We needed to be better on defense the whole game,” Fran McCaffery said.

Iowa improved to 2-0 and will face South Dakota in the third and final game of the Kenny Arnold Classic on Tuesday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Kenny Arnold was a starting guard for Iowa’s 1980 Final Four team, and a three-year starter for the Hawkeyes under Lute Olson.

Arnold was diagnosed with a brain tumor shortly after finishing his college career, and he would go on to struggle with health issues until passing away in 2019 at the age of 59.

His courage and determination as he battled with health issues helped to inspire his former college teammates.

Iowa built a 16-point lead (38-22) in the first half, but the Jaguars trimmed the deficit to six points at 43-37 with 1 minute, 20 seconds left before halftime.

Iowa then scored the final five points of the half on a layup by Josh Dix and a three by Pryce Sandfort, expanding the lead to 48-37 at halftime.

Pryce Sandfort made all three of his shots from 3-point range in the first half and he led Iowa in scoring with 11 points.

Iowa made 9-of-20 shots from 3-point range in the first half and finished 18-for-40 overall from behind the arc.

Thursday’s game was just the second for graduate point guard Drew Thelwell as a Hawkeye. He transferred to Iowa from Morehead State, where he was the all-time winningest player in program history.

Thelwell finished with 12 points and made three threes while playing slightly more than 25 minutes off the bench.

He also earned praise from his head coach.

“He was great,” said Fran McCaffery. “He just keeps getting better.

“In the beginning, you forget he’s an old guy, so you figure he’s just going to jump right in there. Everything is new.”

Iowa played without senior center Riley Mulvey and sophomore forward Seydou Traore due to minor injuries.

Traore’s right foot was in a boot, but Fran McCaffery said he expects the Manhattan transfer will soon be cleared to play.