Minneapolis, MN – Austin Hollins drilled the go-ahead three with 11.6 seconds remaining and came up with a steal at the other end, lifting 23rd-ranked Minnesota to a 62-59 victory over Iowa at Williams Arena.
Iowa led for a majority of the second half, but never by more than four points, and took a 59-55 edge on a three-point play by Eric May with 2:10 to play. Joe Coleman's tough layup inside cut the Minnesota deficit in half and the Gophers had a chance to tie or go in front after an Iowa miss, but Coleman threw the ball away with 1:05 left.
The Hawkeyes returned the favor with 36.6 seconds remaining when Roy Devyn Marble, who had sat out most of the second half, threw it into the Iowa bench.
Minnesota was unable to get a good look before taking a timeout with 13 seconds remaining, then set up a play for Hollins, who drained a shot from the right wing to give the Gophers a 60-59 lead.
"It was pretty much drawn up like that," said Hollins of the play. "There were some other screens that were supposed to take place, but I saw some daylight so I let it go."
Hollins then stripped Mike Gesell with 4.7 seconds remaining and Andre Hollins sank a pair from the line for a three-point advantage. Gesell had a chance to tie with a good shot from the right side, but the ball hit the front of the rim and fell harmlessly as time expired.
"We obviously blew an opportunity today," said Hawkeyes head coach Fran McCaffrey. "We had opportunities at the free throw line and on the break. We kept fighting. When you don't execute and miss free throws, it is hard."
Iowa made good on only 10-of-17 attempts from the foul line for the game.
Austin Hollins scored 17 points and Andre Hollins added 15 for the Gophers (17-5, 5-4 Big Ten), who have won two straight on the heels of a four-game skid. Coleman chipped in 12 points in the victory.
Gesell led Iowa with 11 points, while Zach McCabe and Aaron White each netted 10. The Hawkeyes (14-8, 3-6) have lost three of their last four and fell to 0-5 against ranked teams this season.
Marble, who entered the contest as Iowa's leading scorer at 14.1 points per game, failed to score and took just two shots in 17 minutes.
Minnesota ran off 12 straight points to open a 14-2 lead early, but Iowa clawed back and pulled within 19-18 on consecutive threes by McCabe. The Gophers managed to stay in front and carried a 29-28 edge to the break only after Gesell's driving layup fell off the rim as time expired.
The Hawkeyes kept it close in the first half thanks to a 5-of-15 effort from 3-point range and 10 offensive rebounds. Minnesota connected on just 1-of-8 from long distance, but made 10-of-17 from inside the arc.
Iowa took its first lead of the contest at 32-31 just 2 1/2 minutes into the second half and the advantage changed hands a few times over the next several minutes.
A pair of free throws by Andre Hollins tied the game for Minnesota at 44-44 with 10:22 remaining and Hollins misfired on a three moments later. The Hawkeyes then took the lead with baskets from Anthony Clemmons and Melsahn Basabe and stayed in front until the final two minutes.
Game Notes
Andre Hollins chipped in eight assists and six rebounds in the victory ... Iowa made only 2-of-8 from beyond the arc in the second half ... The Hawkeyes had won two straight over the Gophers ... These teams will also play two weeks from Sunday in Iowa City.
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