Iowa Basketball Comes Up Just Short at Minnesota: Key Takeaways from a Painful Road Loss
Iowa basketball walked off the Williams Arena floor Tuesday night knowing just how close it had come.
Three clean looks. One possession. One final chance to steal a road win in the Big Ten.
Down three in the closing seconds, the Hawkeyes executed exactly what they wanted. Bennett Stirtz brought the ball up, rose confidently for a contested three, and watched it miss. Cam Manyawu muscled his way to the offensive rebound and kicked it out to Brendan Hausen on the wing. Another open look. Another miss. Then Manyawu did it again another rebound, another kick-out this time to Stirtz standing alone at the top of the key as the horn sounded.
The shot was pure in intention but cruel in result, rattling off the front iron before falling harmlessly to the court. Minnesota escaped with a 70-67 win as Gopher fans flooded the floor, while Iowa stood stunned, knowing it had erased nearly everything except the final deficit.
The loss stung because of how close it was and because of how far Iowa had climbed back after trailing by 14 with just over six minutes remaining. The comeback was real. The fight was undeniable. But in the end, the details decided the night.
As Iowa turns its attention to hosting Illinois on Sunday, this narrow road defeat leaves behind clear lessons, encouraging signs, and some glaring areas head coach Ben McCollum will want cleaned up quickly.
Combs and Howard kept Iowa alive early
If Tuesday’s game had spiraled out of control in the first half, it wouldn’t have been hard to understand why. Iowa’s offense struggled to find any rhythm, and several of the Hawkeyes’ most reliable scorers were quiet early. What prevented things from unraveling entirely were Kael Combs and Isaia Howard.
The duo provided nearly all of Iowa’s offensive spark in the opening 20 minutes. Combs was aggressive, decisive, and confident, finishing with a career-high 14 points on an efficient 6-of-10 shooting night. Howard came off the bench and gave Iowa exactly what it needed, pouring in 10 points on 5-of-13 shooting. Without their contributions, Iowa might have been staring at a much larger halftime deficit.
Instead, the Hawkeyes went into the break down just seven a manageable margin that made the second-half rally possible. On a night when several familiar names struggled to find their touch, Combs and Howard were steady and fearless. Their efforts may not show up in the final outcome, but they mattered. Games like this can change how players see themselves, and Iowa will need both moving forward as consistency from the bench becomes more important.
Sloppiness proved costly on the road
Winning road games in the Big Ten is hard. Winning them while giving away possessions is almost impossible.
Iowa turned the ball over 14 times and committed 22 fouls a combination that ultimately tilted the game toward Minnesota. Those mistakes turned into real damage, with the Gophers scoring 20 points off Iowa turnovers, including 11 in transition. Iowa, by comparison, managed just 13 points off Minnesota’s 10 turnovers and scored only two fast-break points all night.
Too often, Iowa passed up open looks, hesitated, or forced extra passes that allowed Minnesota’s defense to recover. Those moments added up. The fouling didn’t help either, as Minnesota earned 28 free-throw attempts too many extra chances for a team already playing with confidence at home.
The Hawkeyes know they’re capable of playing a cleaner brand of basketball than what they showed Tuesday. Expect ball security and discipline to be major points of emphasis heading into Sunday’s matchup.
Secondary scoring remains the biggest question
The most concerning stat of the night came early. Iowa’s top four scorers entering the game combined for zero points in the first half. Bennett Stirtz eventually exploded for 21 points after halftime and nearly carried Iowa across the finish line by himself, but the lack of offensive support early put the Hawkeyes behind the eight ball.
Cam Manyawu, Tavion Banks, and Alvaro Folgueiras three of Iowa’s primary offensive options combined for just five points on 1-of-9 shooting. When multiple scorers go cold simultaneously, margin for error disappears, especially on the road.
When Stirtz was bottled up early, Iowa lacked a clear secondary playmaker to stabilize the offense and keep things flowing. The offense stalled, possessions dragged, and it took too long for the Hawkeyes to find a rhythm. That absence was felt long before the final buzzer.
Finding that reliable second option remains a priority. Banks, Folgueiras, and Howard have all flashed the ability to fill that role at different times this season. The challenge now is consistency.
Hausen’s impact goes beyond the box score
One subtle but important development came when Brendan Hausen entered the game during Iowa’s second-half push. The Kansas State transfer hasn’t logged many minutes recently, but his presence immediately changed the spacing on the floor.
Hausen finished with just three points in seven minutes, yet Iowa’s late rally coincided with his time on the court. His shooting gravity forced Minnesota’s defense to stretch, opening driving lanes and creating cleaner looks for teammates. Even when the shots didn’t fall, the threat mattered.
For a team searching for offensive balance, Hausen’s skill set may deserve a longer look. His ability to stretch defenses could help unlock more consistent scoring from others, even if his own stat line remains modest.
A loss that still offers hope
Iowa didn’t leave Minneapolis with a win, but it didn’t leave empty-handed either. The Hawkeyes showed resilience, uncovered valuable contributions from their depth, and nearly pulled off a comeback that would’ve ranked among their best road wins of the season.
Now comes the challenge of turning lessons into results. Clean up the turnovers. Cut down the fouls. Find a second scorer to complement Stirtz. If Iowa can do those things, the heartbreak of Tuesday night could become a turning point rather than a lingering frustration.
Sometimes the thinnest margins reveal the clearest truths. Tuesday was one of those nights.
