Main Story

Iowa’s first loss of the season came in a close overtime game against Virginia Tech, which pulled away for a 93-88 win in Sioux City. Cooper Koch scored a career-high 26 points, but the Hawkeyes’ coach pointed to repeated defensive breakdowns as a key problem.

By the Numbers
  • Final score: Virginia Tech 93, Iowa 88, after the teams were tied 84-84 at the end of regulation.
  • Cooper Koch had 26 points and seven rebounds; Ty’Reek Coleman scored 20.
  • Iowa outrebounded Virginia Tech 40-26 and grabbed 18 offensive rebounds.
  • The Hawkeyes made 31 of 47 free throws and 5 of 17 3-pointers.
Yes, But

Iowa created second-chance opportunities and had four players score in double figures, but struggled to execute defensively and left too many free points at the line. Virginia Tech outscored the Hawkeyes 9-4 in overtime.

What’s Next

Iowa faces Creighton on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT in Des Moines.

Bottom Line

The Hawkeyes showed they can compete in a tight matchup, but defensive execution and free-throw accuracy will need to improve to turn close games into wins.