East Texas A&M Lions @ Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa beats Texas A&M-Commerce 89-67 behind Payton Sandfort's 20 points, 11 rebounds
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- — Payton Sandfort scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to go with seven assists to help Iowa beat Texas A&M-Commerce 89-67 on Monday night in a season opener.
Owen Freeman added 15 points and nine rebounds for Iowa. Pryce Sandfort had 13 points, and Josh Dix and Drew Thelwell scored 10 apiece.
Payton Sandfort shot 7 of 14 from the floor and 4 of 9 from long range. The senior averaged 16.4 points and hit 94 3-pointers last season, third-most in program history.
Khaliq Abdul-Mateen scored 12 points and Scooter Williams Jr. added 11 to lead Texas A&M-Commerce.
The Hawkeyes took the lead for good midway through the first half and led 42-35 at the break. The Sandforts combined for 15 first-half points and three 3-pointers.
The Lions pulled within five points early in the second half before Iowa used a 33-9 run for an 84-55 lead with 3:42 remaining. During the stretch, Pryce Sandfort made two 3s and Freeman scored on an alley-oop dunk.
It was the first meeting between the teams. The Hawkeyes are 10-1 against the Southland Conference and have won 90 of their last 96 nonconference home games dating to 2012.
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Game Information
Iowa City, IA

Referee:Tim Comer
Referee:Bill Jacobson
Referee:Tariq Lucas

2025-26 Standings
| Southland ConferenceSouthland Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen F. Austin | 17-1 | - | 24-3 |
| McNeese | 15-3 | 2 | 22-5 |
| UT Rio Grande Valley | 11-7 | 6 | 15-12 |
| Texas A&M-Corpus Christi | 10-8 | 7 | 14-13 |
| New Orleans | 10-8 | 7 | 12-15 |
| Nicholls | 10-8 | 7 | 11-16 |
| Lamar | 7-11 | 10 | 12-15 |
| East Texas A&M | 6-12 | 11 | 11-17 |
| Houston Christian | 6-12 | 11 | 10-17 |
| Northwestern State | 6-12 | 11 | 8-19 |
| Incarnate Word | 5-13 | 12 | 10-17 |
| SE Louisiana | 5-13 | 12 | 8-19 |
| Big Ten ConferenceBig Ten Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 14-1 | - | 24-1 |
| Illinois | 12-3 | 2 | 21-5 |
| Nebraska | 11-3 | 2.5 | 22-3 |
| Purdue | 11-3 | 2.5 | 21-4 |
| Michigan State | 10-4 | 3.5 | 20-5 |
| Wisconsin | 10-4 | 3.5 | 18-7 |
| UCLA | 9-5 | 4.5 | 17-8 |
| Iowa | 8-6 | 5.5 | 18-7 |
| Ohio State | 8-6 | 5.5 | 16-9 |
| Indiana | 8-7 | 6 | 17-9 |
| USC | 7-7 | 6.5 | 18-7 |
| Washington | 5-10 | 9 | 13-13 |
| Minnesota | 4-10 | 9.5 | 11-14 |
| Rutgers | 3-11 | 10.5 | 10-15 |
| Maryland | 3-11 | 10.5 | 10-15 |
| Oregon | 2-12 | 11.5 | 9-16 |
| Penn State | 2-13 | 12 | 11-15 |
| Northwestern | 2-13 | 12 | 10-16 |
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