Iowa will look to continue its unblemished start to the season when it faces Grand Canyon in the Acrisure Classic championship game Wednesday night in Palm Desert, California.
The Hawkeyes (6-0) handed previously undefeated Ole Miss its first loss in a 74-69 victory in the first round of the holiday tournament Tuesday.
Bennett Stirtz led all scorers with 29 points, including a 6-of-8 shooting performance from beyond the arc, to lift the Hawkeyes.
Cooper Koch added 14 points and 10 rebounds for Iowa, which took control down the stretch after being locked in a close battle for most of the night.
It was the Hawkeyes’ first win outside of Iowa after playing the first five games at home. First-year coach Ben McCollum said his team wanted to “show up and compete,” and they did just that to win despite shooting 46.9 percent to 42.9 percent.
Iowa’s 13-7 turnover advantage proved crucial as it outscored the Rebels 13-8 in points off turnovers.
“That’s always our thing: making sure we can play harder than our opponent,” McCollum said before the tournament. “At the end of the day, that’s what wins you matches because you can come up with all the cool stuff you want, but if you’re not competing at a high level, it really doesn’t matter.”
Iowa will face Grand Canyon (4-2) after the Lopes’ victory over Utah 68-58.
Jaden Henley scored 18 points, Efe Demirel added 12 and Brian Moore Jr. scored 11 to boost Grand Canyon. Nana Owusu-Anane totaled nine points and nine rebounds.
The Lopes won despite going 0 of 10 from 3-point range and being outshot 40-33. Grand Canyon made the difference at the free throw line, hitting 22 of 32 foul shots, doubling Utah’s 11 free throws (on 18 attempts).
“It says a lot about our defense and our guys attacking the rim,” Lopes coach Bryce Drew said of the win without a 3-pointer. “I thought Efe had some really good finishes that the guards found him on. I really liked our pace on offense and thought our ball control was good.”
Grand Canyon will look to win a third straight game Wednesday against its toughest opponent of the season so far.
Ole Miss will meet Utah in the consolation game on Wednesday.
–Field level media
