Gophers men’s hoops upset #19 Iowa to improve to 3-1 in Big Ten Conference

Langston Reynolds poured in 22 points and Cade Tyson added 16 as Minnesota withstood a late Iowa surge to earn a 70-67 victory over No. 19 Iowa on Tuesday night.

Bennett Stirtz scored all 21 of his points after halftime for Iowa (12-3, 2-2 Big Ten), sparking a comeback from a 14-point second-half deficit that briefly put the Hawkeyes in front in the final two minutes.

Minnesota (10-5, 3-1) appeared in control after building a 58-44 lead with 6:36 remaining, but Iowa answered with a furious rally. Stirtz knocked down six consecutive free throws, Kael Combs completed a three-point play, and both Stirtz and Brendan Hausen drilled 3-pointers to fuel the comeback.

Cooper Koch’s driving layup with 1:13 to play gave Iowa a 64-63 advantage — its first lead since early in the first half. Jaylen Crocker-Johnson quickly responded with a 3-pointer for Minnesota, though missed free throws down the stretch kept the Hawkeyes within striking distance.

Isaac Asuma calmly sank two free throws with 16.5 seconds remaining to push the Gophers ahead 70-67. Iowa generated three quality looks from beyond the arc in the closing seconds but failed to convert, prompting Minnesota fans to storm the court after the program’s second home win over a ranked opponent this season.

Despite Iowa entering the matchup with the Big Ten’s top-ranked defense, allowing just 60.1 points per game, Minnesota dictated the tempo early. The Hawkeyes made only one of their first nine shots as the Gophers jumped out to a 12-3 lead.

Iowa responded with a 17-4 run, capped by Koch’s 3-pointer as he scored eight points during the stretch. Minnesota answered with 12 consecutive points of its own, highlighted by a pair of 3s from Tyson, to take a 31-24 lead into halftime.

The win adds to Minnesota’s growing list of marquee home victories, following its upset of then-No. 22 Indiana on Dec. 3.