Quick Hits: Hawkeye offense goes cold in second half, falls to Illinois.

The Hawkeyes had numerous opportunities to score against Illinois, but fell short in a 95-85 loss in Champaign. Iowa will most likely need to win the rest of the regular season, including a game in the Big Ten Tournament, to have a realistic chance of making the NCAA Tournament.

Both offences were up and running early in this game. Ten points were scored in the opening minute, and Iowa scored on its first five possessions. All five Iowa starters scored within the opening three minutes. Illinois’ Coleman Hawkins was dangerous early against Ben Krikke, pouring in ten of Illinois’ first fifteen points.

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The Fighting Illini only made one of their next eight shots, but they did make a pair of threes to establish a three-point lead. Hawkins would bury his third of the day as Luke Goode began to get things rolling. The two teams traded blows until Illinois went on a 7-0 run in 46 seconds to establish a 30-25 lead with 8:08 left in the first half.

The Hawkeyes responded with a short run of their own. Following the Ben Krikke putback, freshman Ladji Dembele nailed a three-pointer, giving them a small lead. Dembele has had his ups and downs this season for Iowa, but he has developed as an important role player in the lineup.

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Following a Goode technical foul, Iowa appeared to have the initiative, but the Fighting Illini regained control. Illinois would draw two fouls on Perkins and Payton Sandfort. In the first half, the Fighting Illini shot 7-of-17 from three-point range, while Iowa made 3-of-6. The Hawkeyes would shoot 62% from the field in the first half.

With one second remaining, Patrick McCaffery found Sandfort on a full-court pass, and he completed at the hoop to trim Illinois’ advantage to one at halftime.

The Hawkeyes took that enthusiasm into the second half, opening with a 7-0 run. Following the sluggish start, Illinois head coach Brad Underwood decided to bench all five of his starting players. It works. The backups held Iowa without a field goal for 2:45, while Illinois trimmed Iowa’s advantage to two at the under-16 break.