Bennett Stirtz show not enough for Iowa basketball in Elite Eight loss | Leistikow
Yes, the Hawkeyes were overwhelmed on the glass and overpowered by Illinois' interior offense. Yes this postseason run was an unforgettable success.
HOUSTON — Despite Bennett Stirtz’s relentless efforts, his extraordinary college career and Iowa’s deepest NCAA Tournament run in 39 years has come to an end. Stirtz fired in 24 points but the Hawkeye men's postseason magic finally ran out on Saturday, March 28 at Toyota Center with a 71-59 loss to third-seeded Illinois in the South Region final. Even so, it was an unforgettable postseason surge for Ben McCollum's Hawkeyes.
More on that later,. As for this game, Illlinois' length was too much for Iowa to overcome. The Hawkeyes were dominated in rebounding, the one category they relentlessly prioritized in pregame preparations.
At one point, Illinois had more offensive rebounds (13) than Iowa had total rebounds (11). For the game, the Illini owned a 38-21 edge on the glass with 16 of those boards being offensive. The Illini also seemed to get whatever they wanted near the hoop, scoring consistently there despite going 3-for-17 on 3-pointers.
Illinois finished with a whopping 40-12 advantage in paint points. Even so, Iowa was in this fight until the final minutes. Freshman Tate Sage's free throws with 2:00 to go closed the gap to 63-59.
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