By Hawk Fanatic – In its first game away from Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season, the Iowa men’s basketball team treated fans in Sioux City to a highly entertaining game, with exception to how it ended and the 80 fouls that were called.

Virginia Tech outlasted the Hawkeyes 93-88 in a back-and-forth overtime thriller.

Iowa had four players that scored in double figures, led by forward Cooper Koch with 26 points, while 7-foot-3 center Andrew McKeever finally made his much-anticipated debut as a Hawkeye, finishing with five points and five rebounds in just 10 minutes.

Point guard Ty’Reek Coleman and shooting guard Isaia Howard had huge performances for Iowa as Coleman finished with 20 points and three rebounds in 31 minutes off the bench, while the 6-5 Howard grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds and scored 13 points.

Guard Kael Combs also scored in double figures for Iowa with 10 points.

Both teams shot 50 percent or better from the field, but they also combined to commit 56 fouls, which led to the 80 free throws, including 47 by Iowa.

Iowa had a 40-26 rebounding advantage, but the Hokies still found a way to prevail in a hostile road environment, and that apparently was due in large part to busted ball screen coverages, according to Iowa head coach Ben McCollum.

Those breakdowns allowed for Hokie guards Ben Hammond and Jaylen Curry to score 32 and 25 points, respectively.

Iowa also missed 16 free throws.

“We didn’t execute what we were supposed to execute,” McCollum said on the Learfield post-game radio interview. “Obviously, a ton of missed layups consistently. But the free throws, we’ve got to get better with those, but again, it’s not like they’re trying to miss them. But you make them, you win.

“We had 18 offensive rebounds and we got to the free throw line like we should have. But the same ball screen coverage over and over and over. It’s just like the definition of insanity.”

Iowa fell to 2-1 and will face Creighton on Sunday in Des Moines, while Virginia Tech improved to 3-0.

Second-year guard Tate Sage made a 3-pont basket to give Iowa a 78-76 lead with 1 minute, 24 seconds left in regulation.

But the Hawkeyes still couldn’t secure the win as the game moved to overtime with the score even at 79.

Virginia Tech then outscored Iowa 14-9 in overtime.

Though frustrated by his team’s defensive breakdowns, McCollum, had high praise for Koch, Howard and Coleman.

“Howard was awesome,” McCollum said. “He’s just a competitive dude, man. He’s a competitor. He’s a fighter. I thought he and Cooper were phenomenal, and I thought Ty’Reek was pretty good.”

The Hokies led for most of the first half, including 21-13 midway through the half.

But then Coleman made a basket to cut the deficit to 32-28 with 4:34 left in the first half.

That would be the start of a 12-2 scoring run that gave Iowa a 38-34 lead with slightly more than one minute to play in the first half.

Koch made a basket to give Iowa a 40-38 lead, but Virginia Tech guard Ben Hammond answered with a three right before the halftime buzzer, giving his team a 41-40 lead at the break.

Both teams shot over 50 percent in the first half, but they also combined for 16 turnovers, including nine by Iowa, but oddly enough, neither team scored a point off turnovers.

Koch led Iowa with 14 points in the first half, making 7-of-8 free throws, while Howard led the Hawkeyes with eight rebounds in the half.

McKeever scored two points and grabbed three rebounds in the first half. He also had one assist, which came on a nifty bounce pass to guard Kael Combs on a back-door layup.

McKeever started the second half and played nearly seven straight minutes before being replaced by Cam Manyawu, who started the game at center for Iowa.

The second half would continue to be close as both teams answered back and forth until finally the game was decided in overtime.