LINCOLN, Neb. — In a high-stakes regular-season finale, the No. 9 Nebraska Cornhuskers outlasted the Iowa Hawkeyes in an 84-75 overtime thriller on Sunday afternoon at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Despite a resilient second-half comeback by the Hawkeyes to force the extra period, Nebraska’s perimeter shooting in overtime ultimately sealed the victory.
Iowa erased multiple double-digit deficits in the second half, including an 11-point margin and a 10-point gap with just over five minutes remaining. Trailing 64-54 with 5:13 to play, the Hawkeyes mounted a 16-6 run to pull even. Junior Kael Combs spearheaded the late surge, scoring Iowa’s final eight points of regulation, punctuated by a dramatic 3-pointer with only 2.7 seconds left to tie the game at 70. However, the momentum shifted back to the Huskers in overtime as they outscored Iowa 14-5, fueled by two critical 3-pointers from reserve Cale Jacobsen.
Kael Combs led the Hawkeyes with a career-high 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including seven points early in the first half to set the tone. Freshman Cooper Koch matched that output with 18 points of his own, tying his career high by hitting six 3-pointers—all of Iowa’s field goals from him came from beyond the arc. Tavion Banks contributed 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds, while Bennett Stirtz added 11 points in the losing effort.
While Iowa won the rebounding battle 32-29, the Hawkeyes were plagued by a season-high 19 turnovers. Nebraska capitalized on these miscues and maintained an efficient offensive performance, shooting 50 percent from the field and gaining a 10-point advantage at the free-throw line. The loss snapped Iowa’s four-game winning streak over Nebraska and dropped the Hawkeyes to 1-5 against top-10 opponents this season.
The Hawkeyes conclude the regular season with a 20-11 overall record and a 10-10 mark in Big Ten play. Iowa will enter next week’s Big Ten Tournament in Chicago as the No. 9 seed. They are scheduled to open postseason play on Thursday at 11 a.m. (CT) at the United Center, facing the winner of the opening-round matchup between Maryland and Oregon.
