Gophers hold off No. 19 Iowa 70-67

Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Isaac Asuma (1) drives to the basket while Iowa Hawkeyes guard Kael Coombs defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Minneapolis (AP Photo/Bailey Hillsheim)

PATRICK DONNELLY | Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Langston Reynolds scored 22 points and Cade Tyson added 16 on Tuesday as Minnesota held off a rally to defeat No. 19 Iowa 70-67.

Bennett Stirtz scored 21 points, all in the second half, as Iowa (12-3, 2-2 in the Big Ten) rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to take the lead in the final two minutes.

Minnesota (10-5, 3-1) led 58-44 with 6:36 to play when Iowa began its comeback. Stirtz hit six straight free throws, Kael Combs converted a three-point play, and Stirtz and Brendan Hausen each hit a 3 to lead the rally.

When Cooper Koch drove for a layup with 1:13 to play, the Hawkeyes led 64-63, their first lead since it was 20-18 with six minutes to go in the first half.

Jaylen Crocker-Johnson answered with a 3-pointer, but Minnesota missed three of four free throws in the final 35 seconds to keep the door open.

Isaac Asuma hit a pair from the line with 16.5 seconds to play to give the Gophers a 70-67 lead. Iowa then got three good looks from the 3-point line in the final seconds but couldn’t hit the tying shot. Gophers fans stormed the court after the team’s second home win over a ranked team this season.

The Hawkeyes came into the game with the Big Ten’s top defense, allowing just 60.1 points per game, while the Gophers’ offense was next to last in the conference.

But it was the Gophers who applied the defensive pressure early, as Iowa made just one of its first nine field goals while the Gophers took an early 12-3 lead. The Hawkeyes stormed back with a 17-4 burst, capped by a 3-pointer by Koch, who had eight points in the run.

But Minnesota countered with 12 straight points, including a pair of 3s by Tyson as the Gophers took a 31-24 halftime lead.

Minnesota earned a home-court upset of then-22nd ranked Indiana on Dec. 3.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH BEN MCCOLLUM
“I didn’t think that we showed up ready to play. Once we actually decided we wanted to compete, and I thought [Minnesota] had a lot to do with that though. It wasn’t just our ineptitude. I thought that [Minnesota] asserted themselves from a physical perspective.

In the second half we started to go. We have to find a way to get to the free throw line. I don’t know why we don’t get there, but we put people there a lot and I need to do a better job coaching to that. I thought we turned it over a little too much, but we just didn’t play our best basketball, and that’s disappointing, but [Minnesota] had a lot to do with that though.”

HAWKEYE GAME NOTES

The Hawkeyes had their four-game winning streak snapped, falling 70-67 at Minnesota on Tuesday night inside Williams Arena.
Iowa rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit (58-44), using a 20-5 run to take a 64-63 lead with 1:14 to play. The Gophers then reeled off five straight points in an eventual three-point win.
The Hawkeyes had three potential game-tying 3-point field goal attempts in the final 11 seconds.
The Gophers’ win also ended Iowa’s three-game winning streak in Minneapolis.
Iowa had three players land in double figures: Bennett Stirtz (21), Kael Combs (14), Isaia Howard (10)
- Stirtz scored all 21 of his points in the second half. It was his third straight 20-point game and his seventh 20-point game of the season.
  - He picked up his second foul at the 14:24 mark in the first half and played only nine minutes in the first half.
  - Stirtz became the first Hawkeye to score 20+ points in a half since Payton Sandfort (20) vs. Washington (2/22/25).
- Combs finished with a career high 14 points, tying a career-high with six field goals.
- Howard landed in double figures for the second straight contest.
The Hawkeyes suffered just their second loss of the season when winning the rebounding battle. Iowa outrebounded the Gophers, 39-28.
Iowa endured a nearly six-minute scoring drought in the first half, falling behind 12-3 at the 13:56 mark. The team made just one of its first nine shots to open the game.
The Hawkeyes used a 17-3 run over a 6+ minute stretch to gain a 20-16 lead with 6:23 left. After starting the game, Iowa made eight of its next 12 field goals.
Minnesota countered with a 12-0 and 15-4 spurt to close out the half to take a 31-24 lead into the locker room.