Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, March 18, 2016
No one said it was going to be easy for Iowa – and it wasn?t. But it sure has to feel good for a program to win an opening NCAA game after the Hawkeyes wheezed across the finish line, going 2-6 in their last eight games and getting dumped by Illinois in the Big Ten tourney game. In short, the Hawkeyes fought through it.
No. 7 Iowa can thank big Adam Woodbury, who caught an air ball by Mike Gesell and put the errant shot off the glass and into the hoop as time expired for a 72-70 win in overtime vs. No. 10 Temple. Iowa had a 63-60 lead with two seconds left after Peter Jok missed a free throw that would have given the Hawkeyes a four-point lead, but the Hawkeyes' Anthony Clemmons fouled Temple?s Quenton DeCosey on a 3-point attempt. And DeCosey hit all three freebies to force OT.
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The star: Jarrod Uthoff played like the star he is, scoring a team-high 23 points. It wasn?t pretty, as the senior hit just 7-of-21 shots (2-of-10 from 3-point land). But, Uthoff got the job done and added five rebounds and two steals.
The stat: 22, free-throw attempts for Iowa, which hit 17 of them. Temple had just eight free throws and made six. Jarrod Uthoff led the way by hitting 7-of-8.
The key to victory: Iowa took care of the ball, committing only three turnovers. Conversely, Temple had 12 turnovers. That negated the Owls? 49-38 edge on the glass.
It was over when: This one is easy. Adam Woodbury put back an errant Mike Gesell shot for the game-winning basket as time expired in a close game that the Hawkeyes led 38-37 at halftime.
What?s next: Iowa will take on No. 2 Villanova on Sunday for a shot to advance to the Sweet 16. The program hasn?t reached the Sweet 16 since 1999.
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