Stirtz scores 20 points and Iowa puts down Scarlet Knights in 68-62 win

Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz (14) shoots the ball during an NCAA college basketball game between Iowa and Rutgers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa, on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Nick Rohlman, The Gazette via AP)

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Bennett Stirtz scored 20 points, reserve Tate Sage added 17 and Iowa held off Rutgers 68-62 on Tuesday night for the Hawkeyes’ second straight win.

Tavion Banks had 12 points for Iowa (14-5, 4-4 Big Ten), which shot 47% (24 of 51) from the field.

Darren Buchanan Jr. scored 17 points and reserve Tariq Francis had 15 for Rutgers (9-10, 2-6). The Scarlet Knights have lost back-to-back games and three of their last four.

Francis made a pair of foul shots with 22 seconds left to get Rutgers within 64-62. After being intentionally fouled, Sage went to the line and made two free throws.

Lino Mark missed an off-balance 3-pointer for Rutgers with 10 seconds left and Iowa guard Isaia Howard made a pair of free throws to seal the win with eight seconds left.

Stirtz’s driving layup with 8:22 left to play gave Iowa a 46-45 lead and they never trailed again. The Hawkeyes led 31-24 at halftime before Rutgers emerged from the break and used a 9-0 run to take a 33-31 lead.

HEAR FROM IOWA HEAD COACH BEN MCCOLLUM
“To be able to win consistently, you have to win games when you’re just not clicking. It wasn’t clicking for us tonight. I did think we did actually came ready, I thought our effort was actually pretty good. I thought our concentration was poor and that was the difference in what it was, just our concentration our execution with that stuff. But our effort was there, and we did come ready.

The concentration probably stems from us trying to figure out, hey, this is the Big Ten, and what are they, 2-5, or whatever. A 2-5 team in the Big Ten is a good team. They are good and they can be a lot. We need to make sure that we are consistent, the part of it is we’re probably tired with a bunch of games in a row and that sickness for a little bit. We need a break and we need to get back to practice and have some really good practices for a few days, not tomorrow though.”

IOWA GAME NOTES

The Hawkeyes won their second straight game, downing Rutgers, 68-62, on Tuesday night inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The victory evens Iowa’s record at 4-4 through eight games in Big Ten play.
Iowa moves to 10-1 at home this season.
The Hawkeyes had three players land in double figures: Bennett Stirtz (20), Tate Sage (17), Tavion Banks (12)
- Stirtz recorded his second straight and ninth 20-point game of the season. He scored 13 of his 20 points in the second half.
- Stirtz also had five assists, four rebounds and two steals in the contest.
Sage scored a career-high 17 points, making 5-of-7 field goals, including a career-high four 3-pointers. He made four of Iowa’s seven 3-point field goals in the game.
- Sage is the first Iowa freshman to score 15+ points and have four 3-pointers against a Big Ten opponent since Joe Wieskamp against Ohio State in 2019.
Stirtz played all 40 minutes for the sixth time this season and for the first time since Dec. 11 at Iowa State.
Sophomore Isaia Howard finished with a career-high 8 rebounds to lead the team.
Rutgers scored the first nine points of the second half to erase a seven-point halftime deficit. The Scarlet Knights scored 15 of the first 20 points over the first 7 ½ minutes, taking a 39-36 lead.
Iowa held Rutgers to 62 points – eight points below its season average.
- The Hawkeyes have held every opponent below its season scoring average this season.
Iowa forced 12 turnovers in the first half and 19 for the game.
- The Hawkeyes are 12-2 on the season when they have fewer turnovers than their opponent.
The Hawkeyes trailed 18-13 at the 9:19 mark of the first half before outscoring Rutgers, 18-6, to take a 31-24 lead into the break. The Scarlet Knights made just two of their final 10 shots to end the half.