Payton Sandfort tied a career high with 26 points and Iowa’s speed and strength overcame Michigan on Saturday evening for an 88-78 win in a high-paced Big Ten game in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The Wolverines (7-13, 2-7 Big Ten) have lost eight of their last nine games, while Iowa (12-8, 4-5) broke a two-game losing streak.
Iowa used a 14-2 run that spanned both halves to take a 52-44 lead with 16:46 left in the second half. Terrance Williams II hit a 3-pointer from the right wing to end Michigan’s drought.
Jace Howard and Will Tschetter hit 3-pointers to keep Michigan within two points with 12:27 left, but Iowa kept answering.
Michigan pulled to within four on two free throws by Dug McDaniel with 8:47 left. But Iowa’s Sandfort scored inside and then hit a 3-pointer with 6:26 left and Iowa led 77-68.
Michigan couldn’t come back, going more than nine minutes without a field goal late in the second half.
Iowa senior guard Tony Perkins scored 24 and went over the 1,000-point mark in his four years at Iowa. Owen Freeman added 15 points for the Hawkeyes.
Williams led Michigan with 16 points while McDaniel, Olivier Nkamhoua and Nimari Burnett each had 13 for the Wolverines.
Michigan went on a 10-0 run to go up 36-27 with 5:32 left in the half started by a Nkamhoua layup.
Nkamhoua led Michigan with 10 points in the first half, while teammate Burnett hit a pair of 3-pointers for eight first-half points.
Michigan won the first game between the teams 90-80 on Dec. 10 in Iowa City. Michigan leads the series between the schools 79-55.
–Field Level Media