McCaffrey, Sandfort help Iowa erase 20-point deficit, beat Minnesota 90-85
Iowa forward Owen Freeman (32) blocks a shot by Minnesota forward Parker Fox (23) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Iowa City, Iowa. Credit: AP/Charlie Neibergall
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Patrick McCaffrey and Payton Sandfort each scored 21 points and combined for 26 in the second half to help Iowa rally from a 20-point deficit and beat Minnesota 90-85 Sunday.
Tony Perkins added 12 of his 18 in the second half and Owen Freeman had 17 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks for Iowa (14-10, 6-7 Big Ten).
Dawson Garcia scored 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting, Braeden Carrington also scored 18 and Mike Mitchell Jr. added 17 points, including five 3-pointers for Minnesota (15-8, 6-6).
Mitchell hit his last 3 to make it 62-42 about 4 minutes into the second half and Cam Christie's one-hand dunk in transition made it 66-47 with 14:20 left. McCaffrey scored 10 of his 14 second-half points in the next 6 minutes as the Hawkeyes made it an eight-point game.
Carrington made two free throws that gave the Golden Gophers a 77-65 lead with 7:40 remaining but they didn't score again for the next 4-plus minutes. Sandfort scored nine points in a 16-0 run, including a layup that gave Iowa its first lead since the opening minutes followed by a 3-pointer that capped the spurt and made it 81-77 with 4 minutes to go.
Parker Fox answered with a dunk that snapped the Gopher's scoring drought and made it a two-point game but they got no closer.
Iowa made 9 of 11 from the free-throw line down the stretch to seal it.
Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery directs his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Minnesota, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Iowa City, Iowa. Credit: AP/Charlie Neibergall
Pharrel Payne made a layup that gave Minnesota the lead with 17:29 left in the first half as Garcia scored six points in a 10-4 opening run. McCaffrey converted a three-point play, Sandfort hit two free throws and then stole a pass and found McCaffrey for a fast-break layup in a 7-2 spurt that cut Iowa's deficit to 26-24 about 10 minutes later. Mitchell then hit a 3-pointer to open a 12-1 spurt that made it 38-25 when Christie capped the spurt when he hit another 3 with 5:44 to go before halftime.
Iowa visits Maryland on Valentine's Day. Minnesota plays at No. 2 Purdue on Friday.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here.
