ISU Comes Back Against The Hawks

On Thursday, December 10, 2015, the Iowa Hawkeyes traveled to Ames, Iowa to play the Number Four Ranked Undefeated Iowa State Cyclones. Last year, the Cyclones defeated Iowa decisively with incredible shooting and put on an absolute display from behind the three point line. This year, the Hawks looked to return the favor against their in-state rival. In the first half of the game, the Hawks, behind an incredible 30 point first quarter performance by star player Jarrod Uthoff, did just that outscoring the Cyclones 49-35, making the home fans very nervous. Uthoff was practically unstoppable scoring from the three point line, the foul line, mid-range, and throwing down monstrous dunks.
The second half, however, was a completely different story. The Iowa State Cyclones buckled down on Jarrod Uthoff, only allowing him to score two points. This proved very crucial in the final minutes of the game. Without their key player scoring the ball, the Hawks were forced to turn to Peter Jok for points, but after getting hit in the eye accidentally by a Cyclone, he was unable to continue his momentum. With 9:34 left in the game, the home team Cyclones were able to cut the lead under double-digits 60-69, and the home fans went crazy. Iowa was able to keep them under control for awhile, but with 10 seconds left, Monte Morris hit a jumper to give Iowa State a lead, and the building went wild. Head Coach Fran McCaffery of the Hawkeyes refused to call a timeout and let his team play, and Jarrod Uthoff missed a three pointer after being cold all half, and the Cyclones stole a close one. In my opinion the Hawks kind of lost the game more than the Cyclones winning it, due to Fran refusing to call crucial timeouts, and the Hawkeyes unable to inbound the ball twice in the final minute and a half, but credit to the tough Cyclone team for making a comeback. This continues to be a very exciting rivalry.