(hawkeyesports.com) EAST LANSING, Mich. – The University of Iowa men’s basketball team defeated Michigan State, 78-71, on Tuesday night at the Breslin Center. The Hawkeyes move to 16-11 on the season and 8-8 in Big Ten conference play.

Graduate Ben Krikke secured his third double-double of the season. Krikke scored 18 points shooting 7-of-11 (64%) from the field. Krikke set a season high in rebounds with 14. He was just one rebound shy of tying his career high.

Junior Payton Sandfort led all scorers with 22 points, his seventh time this season finishing with 20+ points. Sandfort knocked down two threes and pulled in six rebounds.

Senior Patrick McCaffery rounded out the Hawkeyes in double-digits with 14 points. McCaffery grabbed four rebounds while shooting 4-of-5 from the free-throw line.

After a back-and-forth beginning to the first half that featured nine ties and four lead changes the Hawkeyes jumped on the Spartans. A 15-1 Iowa run with just over six minutes remaining in the half started with the Hawkeyes down three and ended with them leading the Spartans by 11. Iowa shot 16-of-28 (57%) from the field in the first half with three players in double-digits. Iowa handed Michigan State their largest halftime deficit at home this season, leading the Spartans, 45-33, at the break.

Iowa carried that momentum into the second half and extended their lead to 16 points in the first minute of the second half. The Spartans refused to go away, but the Hawkeyes had a response for every Michigan State run. Michigan State was able to cut the lead to five points with 2:30 remaining but Iowa would score the next five points to push their lead back to ten points. Krikke, Perkins and Sandfort combined to score 25 of the team’s 33 points in the second half.

Iowa finished the game shooting 28-of-55 (50.9%) from the field and 4-of-13 (30.8%) from deep. The Hawkeyes shot 18-of-23 from the free throw line (78.3%).

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes continue on the road, traveling to Champaign on Saturday to face No. 12 Illinois at 1:15 p.m. (CT) at the State Farm Center.