By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Wisconsin men’s basketball team didn’t score 116 points or make 21 threes against Iowa on Saturday as it did in the first game against the Hawkeyes in early January.

But the Badgers still scored enough points (74) and made enough threes (12) to complete the season sweep against Iowa with a 74-63 victory at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Iowa has now lost six of its last seven games and fell to 4-8 in Ten play and 13-10 overall, while Badgers improved to 19-5 and 9-4.

The strain from losing was noticeable as Iowa players Pryce Sandfort and Seydou Troare met with the media after Saturday’s loss.

Pryce Sandfort even dropped an F-bomb as he reflected on his team’s latest setback.

“I’m just sick of losing. I want to (expletive) win,” Pryce Sandfort said in the post-game press conference. “We can’t do it right now. Excuse my language.”

Iowa will try to get back on the winning side when it faces Rutgers on Wednesday in Piscataway, New Jersey.

Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery was asked after Saturday’s loss to describe how he feels about his team’s recent struggles.

“As long as they keep fighting for me and showing up for practice with an incredibly professional approach that’s all I ever ask of them,” Fran McCaffery said. “We’re going to try and win. They want to win. They’re putting the time in and they’re competing. And it’s our job to just try to help them get over the hump.”

Iowa graduate guard Drew Thelwell drove to the basket and then fell to floor in obvious pain with 5 minutes, 33 seconds left in the second half with what appeared to be a right ankle injury

He then left the court hopping on his left leg to be further examined.

Thelwell returned to the Iowa bench with 3:59 left to play and he was inserted back in the game with 3:35 left to play, and with Iowa trailing 67-61.

The Orlando, Florida native was clearly hobbled by the injury, but he still played despite being in obvious pain.

“I think it says what we already knew, he’s a character guy,” Fran McCaffery said of Thelwell, who finished with 11 points and three assists. “That dude has a character. The only disappointment in it for me is I only get to coach him for one year.”

Thelwell made layup to give Iowa a 59-58 lead with 7:36 left to play.

The Badgers then outscored Iowa 16-4 down the stretch, with nine of their points coming on free throws by the nation’s top free-throw shooting team.

“The group continues to find ways,” said Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard. “And I think this is a really, really good team, and really good teams win in a multitude of ways and find ways to win.

“We were back and forth in the first half, and I thought we had more of an edge to us in the second half, more of bite to us, specifically on the defensive end. That ignited some things for us offensively.”

Pryce Sandfort made a fadeaway jumper right before the halftime buzzer to give Iowa a 39-37 lead at the break.

He also led Iowa with 11 points in the first half off the bench, but was then held to just three points in the second half.

Wisconsin never led by more than three points in the first half, while Iowa’s biggest lead in the first half was six points.

The Hawkeyes also committed just two turnovers in the first half and had a 19-18 rebounding advantage.

Wisconsin made 14-of-30 field-goal attempts in the first half, with half of its baskets coming on threes.

The Badgers entered the second half having made 28 threes over the last three halves against Iowa and they would go on to make five more in the second half, including one by Jon Tonje that gave Wisconsin a 65-59 lead with 5:44 left to play.

Tonje led all scorers with 22 points.

Iowa played its second straight game with sophomore forward Owen Freeman, who recently had season-ending surgery on a finger on his right shooting hand.

Freeman’s loss can’t be understated as he is Iowa’s leading scorer and rebounder.

But injuries are also part of the game, so Iowa has to figure a way to win without arguably its best player.

Senior forward Payton Sandfort never seemed comfortable on offense in Saturday’s game as he only made 2-of-11 shots from the field and scored seven points.

The Badgers were physical on defense against Payton Sandfort, and some might say they were too physical.

“We quick shot it a little bit, but I will say with Payton, I think he deserves a little more respect than he’s getting,” Fran MaCaffery said. “I think he’s earned that.”