Instant Reaction: A Night Of Frustration For Hawkeyes
Luka Garza hasn't been prone to foul trouble this season.
But the Iowa center found it in Thursday's 82-70 loss at Maryland, and it proved costly for the Hawkeyes.
They were fouls that could have been avoided.
His second foul in the first half came when Garza crashed for an offensive rebound. The third was a double foul. The fourth was an offensive foul.
Garza's foul trouble in the first half was exacerbated by Ryan Kriener's two fouls — the second one a technical foul after he scored on a layup and was fouled — and that left Iowa coach Fran McCaffery scrambling to find frontcourt answers for a big chunk of the first half.
With Garza and Kriener out, Maryland's defense could focus on Iowa's 3-point shooters, and the Hawkeyes couldn't get much going from the outside. Iowa made just 8-of-24 3-pointers.
Garza's struggles helped Maryland's Jalen Smith, who was able to roam inside and finish with 18 points and 14 rebounds.
Garza finished with 21 points in 25 minutes, showing how much Iowa missed him with the time on the bench.
The Hawkeyes, who came in on a five-game winning streak, haven't dealt with frustration for a while.
This one was agonizing.
Cowan eruption
Maryland guard Anthony Cowan was held to just nine points when the two teams met earlier this month.
He finished this game with a career-high 31 points on 9-of-15 shooting, adding six rebounds and six assists.
The Hawkeyes were able to contain Cowan in the Jan. 10 win, but they couldn't slow him in this game. Much of Iowa's defensive struggles were caused by Cowan's speed.
Wieskamp's struggles
The contrast to Cowan was the play of Iowa's Joe Wieskamp, who had 26 points and 11 rebounds against the Terrapins earlier this season.
Wieskamp finished with 17 points and six rebounds, but made just 5-of-14 shots, 2-of-5 in 3-pointers.
Maryland's defense kept him from getting into a rhythm, especially in the first half.
Backcourt woes
It wasn't a good night for Iowa's guards.
CJ Fredrick had 12 points, but was 4-of-12 from the field. Connor McCaffery battled foul trouble and finished with three points. McCaffery fouled out, as did Joe Toussaint, who was 2-of-10 from the field. Bakari Evelyn had two points in 12 minutes.
Pemsl responds
Iowa forward Cordell Pemsl played a big part in keeping the Hawkeyes in the game in the first half.
Pemsl finished with four points, but had eight rebounds in an extended role in the first half. That helped keep the Hawkeyes close until Garza could get back into the game.
