Sandfort scores 26, Perkins 24 and Iowa topples Michigan 88-78

Jan 28, 2024, 01:08 am

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- — Payton Sandfort scored 26 points and Tony Perkins added 24, leading Iowa to an 88-78 victory over Michigan on Saturday.

Sandfort scored 21 points in the second half. For the game, he made 6 of 8 3-pointers and added six rebounds with three assists. Perkins made 9 of 12 shots and added five assists. Owen Freeman added 15 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots for Iowa (12-8, 4-5 Big Ten).

Iowa took the lead with an 8-0 run early in the second half and a 3-pointer from Sandfort gave the Hawkeyes a 67-60 lead with about 11 minutes to go. A 3-pointer by Terrance Williams II got the Wolverines within 67-66 before Sandfort scored eight points to help Iowa rebuild a nine-point lead.

Iowa's lead reached 13 when Freeman hit a pair from the line near the 4-minute mark and the Hawkeyes led by double digits for the remainder of the game. The Wolverines shot 28% in the second half and missed 11 of their final 12 attempts.

Williams led Michigan (7-13, 2-7) with 16 points. Olivier Nkamhoua, Dug McDaniel and Nimari Burnett scored 13 each. McDaniel had six rebounds and five assists. Nkamhoua added six rebounds and five blocks, and Burnett had five assists.

Both teams shot better than 50% in the first half and there were 10 lead changes and four ties in the first 12 1/2 minutes. Michigan broke loose with a 9-0 run and led for the final 7 minutes of the period. Still, the Hawkeyes scored six of the last eight points and trailed just 44-42 at halftime. Perkins scored 11 points for Iowa and Nkamhoua had 10 for Michigan.

Michigan beat Iowa 90-80 in early December.

Michigan, which has lost seven of its last eight, plays at Michigan State on Tuesday.

Iowa plays at Indiana on Tuesday.

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