IU surrenders late 10-point lead, falls to Iowa

For the fourth straight game, the IU men’s basketball team had to wait until the final shot to know the winner.

For the second time, it ended on the losing side.

Junior guard Verdell Jones’ jumpshot as time expired hit all iron, and a desperation tip came up empty as the Hoosiers fell to Iowa 64-63 on Saturday in Assembly Hall.
At one point, though, it was IU’s game to lose.

The Hoosiers built a 10-point lead with 7:47 remaining in the second half, capped by an inbounds steal by junior guard Daniel Moore and subsequent layup from sophomore forward Derek Elston.

In a span of just more than two minutes, IU committed two turnovers, two fouls and had just one shot attempt while Iowa went 4-of-4 for the field to tie the game at 58.

From that moment, IU had just two made field goals and five points until the final buzzer. Iowa, on the other hand, finished 6-of-9 in the final three minutes.

Sophomore guard Jordan Hulls tied a career-high with 24 points, but he didn’t score in the final five minutes. Jones, who finished with two points in 21 minutes, had the Hoosiers’ last three field goal attempts and finished 1-of-9.

Saturday marked IU’s fourth straight loss to Iowa, but the first one by less than 14 points.

The Hoosiers hit the road for consecutive games, first traveling to Purdue on Tuesday followed by Michigan next Saturday.