Owen Freeman celebrated his 20th birthday Friday night with 21 points and 11 rebounds in his hometown of Moline, Ill., as Iowa rallied in the last 3 1/2 minutes to stop Washington State 76-66 at the John Deere Quad Cities Showdown.
Payton Sandfort added 18 points for the Hawkeyes (4-0), who trailed 62-60 with 3:26 left after Ethan Price made a 3-pointer. But Drew Thelwell responded with a 3-pointer 23 seconds later, starting a game-ending 16-4 run.
Iowa used full-court pressure down the stretch to disrupt the Cougars (3-1), forcing a key 10-second violation with the lead at two and less than two minutes left. Freeman cashed it in with a putback for a 66-62 advantage and the Hawkeyes closed it out by making 10 straight foul shots over the last 1:11.
Nate Calmese starred in defeat for Washington State, scoring a game-high 27 points on 12-of-22 shooting. LeJuan Watts added 11 points and 10 rebounds but the Cougars made just 11 of 32 shots in the second half and finished with 18 turnovers that Iowa converted into 20 points.
The Hawkeyes boasted a 23-8 advantage in bench scoring and made more free throws (18) than Washington State attempted (12).
Playing away from Pullman, Wash., for the first time this season, Washington State got off to a good start, establishing a 15-9 lead just under eight minutes into the game after Price converted a layup.
Iowa responded with a 10-2 run and took a 19-17 lead at the 7:57 mark when Freeman dunked, although it also led to a 5-0 response for the Cougars after Freeman was called for a technical foul. Cedric Coward hit the technical free throws and Calmese drained a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession.
Calmese carried Washington State to a 36-33 halftime lead with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting, capping his big half on a layup with 13 seconds left. The Hawkeyes could have led at the half but misfired on 7 of 13 foul shots.
–Field Level Media
