LOS ANGELES – Iowa lost by 27 points to UCLA this evening in a Big Ten road game, and the contest was not as close as the final score indicates.
Iowa (12-6, 3-4 B1G) trailed UCLA (12-6, 3-4 B1G) 57-24 at halftime in this lopsided blowout Hawkeye loss Friday night at Pauley Pavilion.
Iowa had two players finish in double figures: Josh Dix 19, Owen Freeman 11
The Hawkeyes’ streak of scoring 80+ points ended at 11 games as Iowa was held to a season-low 70 points.
Senior Payton Sandfort played eight minutes and scored two points before exiting the game with a shoulder injury. He did not return.
Dix made 7-of-11 field goals, including five 3-pointers, to finish with 19 points.
The Bruins shot 62.1 percent from the field and out-rebounded Iowa, 29-19.
UCLA had a 44-22 advantage in points in the paint.
UCLA started the game 9-for-9 from the floor, including three 3-pointers, to build a 21-9 lead over the first six minutes and it was 11-of-12 from the field and had a 28-9 lead over the first eight.
Iowa trailed 57-24 at the half after the Bruins shot 65.7 percent (23-of-35) from the floor. UCLA forced 12 first-half turnovers, turning them into 22 points.
The Hawkeyes return home Tuesday, hosting Minnesota at 8 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game will be televised on BTN.
