BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Kris Murray scored 26 points, Tony Perkins flirted with the first triple-double in Iowa history and the Hawkeyes beat No. 15 Indiana 90-68 on Tuesday night.
Perkins had 23 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high eight assists in his return to his home state.
Just three days after rallying from a 13-point deficit in the final 94 seconds of this season’s highest-scoring Big Ten game against Michigan State, the Hawkeyes never trailed and produced the most first-half points in a league contest this season.
Trayce Jackson Davis led the Hoosiers with 26 points and 13 rebounds. But the expected celebration for Jackson-Davis’ milestone night was tainted by Indiana’s inexplicably poor showing.
Jackson-Davis passed Alan Henderson and Walt Bellamy to become the school’s career rebounding leader with 1,096 — on a night the Hoosiers (20-10, 11-8) lost their fourth in a row in the series.
Yes, the Hoosiers looked flat after beating rival Purdue on Saturday, and Iowa wasted no time taking advantage.
The Hawkeyes scored the first six points of the game, quickly extended the margin to 16-5 and still led 47-36 at halftime. The Hawkeyes then used a 14-2 second half run to make it 61-40 and continued pulling away over the final 15 1/2 minutes.
It was Indiana’s worst home loss since Purdue-Fort Wayne beat the Hoosiers by 20 in December 2017.
BIG PICTURE
Iowa: The Hawkeyes have struggled on the road all season — at least until Tuesday. This time, they built off the momentum from Saturday’s stunning 112-106 overtime victory and, at times, looked virtually unbeatable. If they can replicate this performance, the defending Big Ten Tournament champs will be a tough out again next week.
Indiana: Whatever the explanation, the Hoosiers looked lost. They had no flow and never got in sync, a stark contrast from the previous six weeks when they showed steady improvement and some real fight. Neither existed in this game and while it may be an anomaly, coach Mike Woodson knows it cannot happen again.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
If Indiana thought it would skate through the first part of this week’s schedule, it was mistaken. The Hoosiers were never in the game and this kind of loss could send them tumbling, even if they salvage a win on Sunday. Iowa, meanwhile, continues to make the case it deserves a Top 25 ranking.
UP NEXT
Iowa: Hosts Nebraska in Big Ten regular-season finale on Sunday.
Indiana: Plays its home finale Sunday against Michigan.
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
