Northwestern’s tailspin continues in blowout
Northwestern suffered its fifth consecutive loss with a 96-73 drubbing by No. 5 Iowa on Sunday at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston.
The Wildcats (6-6, 3-5 Big Ten) got off to a solid start and led 29-28 with just under eight minutes left in the first half on the strength of four three-pointers by Boo Buie.
The Hawkeyes (12-2, 6-1), who won their fifth game in a row, then took control with 13 consecutive points, six by Jack Nunge. The Hawkeyes led 49-37 at the break and opened the second half with a 13-2 run for a 62-39 advantage.
“We knew what we were facing. They’re truly one of the elite teams,” Wildcats coach Chris Collins said. “If you’re going to win, you have to play well on both ends, and we fell short of that.”
Pete Nance led Northwestern with 16 points on 7-for-12 shooting to go along with a career-high five assists and nine rebounds.
Luka Garza had 17 points and 10 rebounds in just 24 minutes to lead Iowa.
Loyola 88, Northern Iowa 46
The Ramblers shot 62.3% (33-for-53) from the field in rolling past the Panthers for their 17th consecutive win at Gentile Arena.
The Ramblers (10-3, 5-1 Missouri Valley), who were 11-for-20 on three-pointers, won their third consecutive game and seventh in their last eight.
Loyola went on a 24-5 run to take a 39-24 lead at the half. The Ramblers’ defense held the Panthers without a field goal for the final 8:17 of the first half and just one field goal over the final 10:55 of the game.
The Ramblers led by 42 points (86-44) in the second half. Tate Hall led four players in double figures with 13 points.
Noah Carter led the Panthers (3-10, 2-6) with 11 points.
Indiana State 74, Illinois State 68
The Redbirds forced nine turnovers in the second half and cut a 15-point gap down to 72-67 on a Dusan Mahoric basket with 17 seconds left, but that would be as close as they would get against the Sycamores in Normal, Illinois.
Dedric Boyd scored 19 points off the bench to lead the Redbirds (4-8, 1-5 Missouri Valley), who shot 44.8% (25-for-56) from the field and 41.2% (7-for-17) from beyond the arc.
Tyreke Key had 18 points to lead the Sycamores (6-7, 3-5).
Purdue 80, Penn State 72
Sasha Stefanovic led a balanced attack with 15 points, Trevion Williams had a doubledouble with 13 points and 11 rebounds and the Boilermakers held off the rusty Nittany Lions.
The Boilermakers (10-5, 5-3 Big Ten) led 33-32 at halftime and went on a 10-0 run after the break. The Nittany Lions (3-5, 0-4), who shot 28% (13-for-47) in the second half, could never quite recover.
Myreon Jones scored a career-high 23 points for Penn State, which was playing its first game since Dec. 30 because of COVID-19 concerns.
Hoiberg has virus; Huskers extend pause
Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said he has tested positive for COVID-19, and the program said it would continue to pause activities for a minimum of seven more days.
The Cornhuskers said that 12 members of the program, including the former Bulls coach and seven players, have tested positive and are in isolation. The team has paused activities since last Monday. Its next game is scheduled for Jan. 30 against Penn State.