Three Iowa Takeaways: Ending Nonconference Play With a Bang

The Iowa Hawkeyes did exactly what they were supposed to as they took care of business against UMass Lowell. In the end, they improved to 11-2 with their 90-62 demolition of the River Hawks.

For the first time since December 6, senior guard Bennett Stirtz led the way in scoring. It was great to see the rest of the offense get involved these past few games, but no one can deny how much Stirtz means to this team.

Riding a three-game winning streak, Iowa knows their schedule is about to get extremely more difficult. The Hawkeyes have lost just two games this year, both to ranked opponents, but there are no more easy non-conference games standing in their way. From here on out, first year head coach Ben McCollum will have to earn everything as Iowa tries to remain in the AP Top 25.

1. Free Throws Guided Iowa To Victory

That’s a wrap on non-conference play ☑️😎 pic.twitter.com/qB2edDXI45
— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) December 30, 2025

While this sounds crazy to say in a 28 point game, it's important to note 22 of Iowa's 90 points came from the charity stripe. McCollum's squad shot 92% from the line as they drilled 22 of their 24 free throw attempts.

In total, 24.4% of Iowa's points were free throws. That's a crazy number, specifically when you consider the fact that this wasn't ever truly a close game. Iowa didn't trail for a second as they saw their largest lead as high as 33 points.

2. Iowa Still Has A Rebounding Problem

While they won the rebound differential 29-25, Iowa allowed nine offensive boards which is one more than they had their selves. Against a team like the River Hawks who are now 5-10 overall and just 1-9 on the road, that simply can't happen.

No matter how many points Iowa wins by, McCollum always an area where Iowa needs to improve. That's a sign of a great coach who's never complacent, and rebounding will certainly be a topic of discussion leading to Iowa's upcoming date with UCLA on January 3.

3. Points In Paint Made Up For Poor Three Point Shooting

4 in double figures tonight 😌

STIRTZ | 22 PTS, 8 AST, 2 STL
MANYAWU | 14 PTS, 9 REB, 3 BLK
FOLGUIERAS | 14 PTS, 2 AST
BANKS | 12 PTS, 1 STL pic.twitter.com/PJgCGozQCc
— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) December 30, 2025

Iowa's 58% from the field was great, but they made just four of their 14 three-point attempts. UMass Lowell shot 11% better from three-point range, a number that once again has no business being as one-sided as it was.

That said, Iowa scored 60% of their points in the paint. With 54 coming in the paint, they contributed 76 of their 90 points in the paint or from the free throw line. That leaves just 14 points elsewhere showing just how dominant Iowa was in those two areas of the game.

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