Florida State and Iowa went back and forth for most of the second half on Tuesday night, but in the end, the Hawkeyes made one more play in overtime in a 78-75 victory in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in Iowa City.
Iowa guard Peter Jok scored a game-high 24 points including the 3-pointer that put the Hawkeyes ahead for good with under 30 seconds to play in the extra period after FSU’s Xavier Rathan-Mayes had given the Seminoles the lead by splitting a pair of free throws. Following Jok’s make, Rathan-Mayes turned the ball over with under 20 seconds remaining.
After a pair of free throws from Jarrod Uthoff extended the Iowa lead to 76-72, Rathan-Mayes hit an improbable desperation trey with four seconds remaining to make it 76-75. Rathan-Mayes’ half-court shot to force a second overtime however, went awry after Uthoff knocked down another two free throws.
The Seminoles (4-2) led by as many as nine in the first half, but took just a 32-31 lead into the locker room. Iowa (5-2) led by as many as five in the second half. It was FSU senior Montay Brandon, who forced overtime by knocking down a pair of free throws after being fouled following an offensive rebound with 27 seconds to play.
Iowa senior guard Mike Gesell was forced to the baseline on Iowa’s final possession of regulation and ended up throwing the ball off the back side of the backboard with 2.1 seconds left. Florida State senior guard Devon Bookert had a chance to win the game in regulation, but his half-court heave was just long. There were six lead changes in overtime before Jok put the Hawkeyes ahead for good.
Freshman Malik Beasley paced the Seminoles with 20 points while Rathan-Mayes added 15 and a game-high 5 assists. Freshman guard Dwayne Bacon and senior center Boris Bojanovsky each tallied 11 points for FSU in the loss. Bojanovsky grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
In addition to his 24 points, Jok recorded a game-high 4 steals. Each of Iowa’s five starters scored in double-figures. Uthoff finished with 15 points while center Adam Woodbury chipped in with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Gesell and Anthony Clemmons each scored 10.
With the loss, FSU has now lost eight straight in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Florida State will be back in action on Sunday as it takes on Virginia Commonwealth at Philips Arena in Atlanta. Iowa will host UMKC on Saturday afternoon.
Featured image courtesy of Phil Sears/USA Today Sports
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