McCaffrey, Sandfort help Iowa erase 20-point deficit, beat Minnesota 90-85

Iowa forward Owen Freeman (32) blocks a shot by Minnesota forward Parker Fox (23) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Patrick McCaffrey and Payton Sandfort each scored 21 points and combined for 26 in the second half to help Iowa rally from a 20-point deficit and beat Minnesota 90-85 Sunday.

Tony Perkins added 12 of his 18 in the second half and Owen Freeman had 17 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks for Iowa (14-10, 6-7 Big Ten).

Dawson Garcia scored 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting, Braeden Carrington also scored 18 and Mike Mitchell Jr. added 17 points, including five 3-pointers for Minnesota (15-8, 6-6).

Mitchell hit his last 3 to make it 62-42 about 4 minutes into the second half and Cam Christie’s one-hand dunk in transition made it 66-47 with 14:20 left. McCaffrey scored 10 of his 14 second-half points in the next 6 minutes as the Hawkeyes made it an eight-point game.

Carrington made two free throws that gave the Golden Gophers a 77-65 lead with 7:40 remaining but they didn’t score again for the next 4-plus minutes. Sandfort scored nine points in a 16-0 run, including a layup that gave Iowa its first lead since the opening minutes followed by a 3-pointer that capped the spurt and made it 81-77 with 4 minutes to go.

Parker Fox answered with a dunk that snapped the Gopher’s scoring drought and made it a two-point game but they got no closer.

Iowa made 9 of 11 from the free-throw line down the stretch to seal it.

Pharrel Payne made a layup that gave Minnesota the lead with 17:29 left in the first half as Garcia scored six points in a 10-4 opening run. McCaffrey converted a three-point play, Sandfort hit two free throws and then stole a pass and found McCaffrey for a fast-break layup in a 7-2 spurt that cut Iowa’s deficit to 26-24 about 10 minutes later. Mitchell then hit a 3-pointer to open a 12-1 spurt that made it 38-25 when Christie capped the spurt when he hit another 3 with 5:44 to go before halftime.

Iowa visits Maryland on Valentine’s Day. Minnesota plays at No. 2 Purdue on Friday.

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