No. 19 Iowa men’s basketball team defeats Wisconsin 68-62 for fifth win in a row
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa freshman point guard Joe Toussaint was so devastated by Kobe Bryant’s death on Sunday that he couldn’t sleep.
He kept waking up and thinking about the tragedy, so he decided to cope with the loss by creating a distraction.
Toussaint and his roommate, freshman forward Patrick McCaffery, both went to the Iowa practice facility on Sunday night and shot baskets until they were exhausted.
“I just put up a lot of shots and stayed tired and I just kept shooting,” Toussaint said. “It’s sad hearing about that news.
“He’s a big reason why I do what I do to be honest with you.”
Most of the Iowa players, including Toussaint, and head coach Fran McCaffery, paid tribute to Bryant by wearing his brand of shoe during Monday’s game against Wisconsin. Some of the players also wrote tributes to Bryant on their shoes, or on their wristbands.
Toussaint also showed the same competitive spirit that helped to make Bryant an NBA legend when it mattered the most in Monday’s game.
Toussaint played a key role down the stretch as Iowa overcame a 12-point deficit in the second half to prevail 68-62 before an announced attendance of 12,566 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Iowa closed the game on a 23-5 scoring run and extended its winning streak to five consecutive games while improving to 15-5 overall and 6-3 in the Big Ten.
Wisconsin fell to 12-9 and 5-5 in conference play.
Toussaint made an old-fashioned 3-point play that gave Iowa a 60-59 lead with 1 minute, 20 seconds remaining.
Iowa never would trail again.
Junior center Luka Garza was the primary option for that possession, but Toussaint decided to shoot after seeing Garza covered by two defenders.
“The play was designed for Luka, but I saw them cheating on Luka and I saw the open space, so I took what they gave me,” Toussaint said. “And thank God, the shot went in.”
Toussaint’s performance sort of mirrored that of his team on Monday.
He struggled early in the second half and was removed from the game after missing a shot that came early in the shot clock.
But instead of sulking or getting upset, Toussaint was ready when Fran McCaffery put him back in the game about midway through the second half.
“Coach does a very good job of keeping confidence in me, and so do my teammates, and so do I myself,” Toussaint said. “I never get down on myself if I make a wrong play or make a wrong read or turn the ball over.
“I keep my head up and I stay confident in myself. It’s just being confident and staying the course.”
Toussaint’s quickness impacted both ends of the floor, but his main concern down the stretch was playing top-notch defense.
Iowa only made 3-of-20 shots from 3-point range, but Toussaint and his cohorts compensated by getting key stops on defense with the game on the line
“It was an off night for all of us,” Toussaint said. “We only hit three 3-pointers tonight. But we battled it out to the end. It was an ugly win, but we got the job done.”
Toussaint was among four Iowa players who scored in double figures in Monday’s game with 11 points. The Bronx, N.Y., native also had four assists, two rebounds and one steal.
“He changed the whole complexion of the game the last four minutes,” redshirt freshman guard C.J. Fredrick said of Toussaint. “Change of pace defensively, a big and-one. He was big for us.”
Garza didn’t have one of his best shooting nights, making only 6-of-17 field-goal attempts, but the Big Ten’s scoring leader helped in other ways, including grabbing 18 rebounds and blocking three shots.
“I thought we were able to get baskets other than threes and other than Luka, yet, we were going to keep going to Luka,” Fran McCaffery said. “We’re going to keep throwing it to him.
“And boy, he was great tonight.”
Wisconsin coach Greg Gard also had high praise for Garza.
"He plays with a tremendous motor," Gard said. "So that is credt to Luka. He has obviously put in a lot of time. He must be one heck of a worker because he has taken a huge jump from last year."
Fredrick also scored in double figures with 17 points, while sophomore Joe Wieskamp finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The fact that Iowa prevailed on a night when it shot horribly from 3-point range is a testimony to the team’s grit and versatility.
“I think it says a lot,” Fran McCaffery said. “I thought Wieskamp in particular, the way they were guarding him, he was putting it on the deck and attacking the rim.”
Iowa compensated for its lack of 3-point shooting by making 25-of-32 free throws, including 6-of-8 in the closing seconds of the game.
Connor McCaffery made one of two free attempts with 32 seconds remaining after Wisconsin guard Brad Davison had been called for a flagrant foul.
Garza also was called for a technical foul with 2.6 seconds remaining.
“It was a flagrant one, so it was two and the ball,” Fran McCaffery said. “And then Luka said something.”
But it didn’t matter as Iowa hung to win for the 10th time in 11 home games this season.
Fran McCaffery praised the fans for helping his team get over the hump on a tough shooting night.
“Yeah, they were spectacular,” Fran McCaffery said. “It’s a week night. You’ve got snow. You can come up with any number of excuses, but these fans come out either way.”
It now seems clear that this Iowa team has caught the imagination of its fans, and Toussaint’s impact is part of the appeal.
“I think for him his decision making today was spectacular,” Fran McCaffery said of Toussaint. “That’s who he has to be.”
Fran McCaffery called a timeout barely one minute into the second half and was clearly upset at his players after Brad Davison had made back-to-back 3-point baskets. Davison’s second three expanded Wisconsin’s lead to 36-30, and the lead ultimately swelled to 12 points before Iowa started its comeback.
Fredrick made a 3-pointer that cut the deficit to 57-54 with 5:08 remaining. His three also brought the fans to their feet and many stood for the remainder of the game.
Toussaint showed some humility after the game when he was asked if he felt that he took the game over down the stretch.
"I don't think so," Toussaint said. "I just played within the team. I felt like I helped the team on defense. But I didn't feel like I took it over."
Kobe Bryant, meanwhile, was known for his refuse-to-lose mentaility and for never backing down from a challenge.
Toussaint and his cohorts honored Bryant by playing with that same "mamba" mentality during Monday's game
"We'll never back down," Toussaint said. "We're always going to come back at you. We're never going to give up until the clock says zero, zero in the second half."
Iowa's next game is Thursday at Maryland. The game will start at 7:30 p.m. and will be televised by the Big Ten Network.