NICEVILLE, FLORIDA – Patrick McCaffery scored 21 points to spearhead Iowa to a victory over Clemson Friday night in the Emerald Coast Classic, leading Iowa to the championship game Saturday.
Patrick McCaffery tied a career high with 21 points, a total that he has amassed in back to back contests. He scored 10 of Iowa’s first 15 points of the first half and nine of Iowa’s first 11 points of the second half.
Iowa was in command for most of the game, building a slight lead then expanding to 14 points with just over 7 minutes to go. A furious Clemson comeback was thwarted by cloth free throws from guard Tony Perkins.
Kris Murray wasn’t his usual explosive self in this game, but he recorded his second double-double of the season and third of his career with 10 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.
Junior Tony Perkins returned to the lineup and scored all 11 of his points over the final 12 minutes of the game. Perkins was 9-of-10 from the foul line and made his one field goal with 95 seconds remaining in the contest to break a 64-64 tie.
Iowa outscored Clemson 20-10 in second-chance points, including an 11-0 advantage in the first half.
True freshman Dasonte Bowen provided a spark off the bench, registering a personal-best nine points, including two clutch buckets in the second half.
Filip Rebraca pulled down 10 rebounds, grabbing double-digit rebounds for the third time in five games this season. He also netted nine points.
The Hawkeyes had the edge on the glass, outrebounding the Tigers 46-32. The +14 advantage tonight is Iowa’s highest rebounding margin of the season.
Iowa returns to action tomorrow against TCU/Cal in the championship game of the Emerald Coast Classic at 6 p.m. (CT). The game will be televised live on CBS Sports Network.
