Iowa cruises past Lipscomb behind strong bench performance
Lipscomb University men’s Basketball team loses to the University of Iowa 76-54 in a Tuesday night matchup Nov. 3 at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Bisons were coming off of a loss in their first game of the season against Southeast Missouri State one day prior. Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes got off to a strong start winning their first game of their season in Iowa’s home opener.
Iowa jumped on the Bisons early in the first half, pushing Lipscomb down by 12 points. The Bisons started to heat up later in the half, answering with a 13-0 run to turn an early 26-14 deficit into a 27-26 lead. With five minutes left in the opening half, the run was capped off by a 3-pointer from graduate guard Takai Simpkins.
Simpkins, a transfer from the University of Oregon, has wasted no time getting acclimated offensively to his new squad. He scored 22 points in Lipscomb’s opening game and followed it with 18-points performance against the Hawkeyes.
Iowa finished the half on a 10-3 run to carry a 38-29 lead into the break. The Bisons had seven turnovers to Iowa’s 3, and the Hawkeyes held a 21-0 advantage in bench points. Lipscomb fought on the glass, trailing Iowa just 19-17 in the rebounds at halftime. But Iowa was able to gain a lead late in the first half off of a 10-2 deficit in second-chance points from the Bisons turnovers.
The Hawkeyes came out roaring to start the second half, proving to be much for the Bisons. Iowa outscored Lipscomb 38-25 after halftime to finish with a 76-54 result. The Hawkeyes’ bench outscored the Bisons’ reserves 42-10 in an all-around effort from Iowa.
Turnovers proved costly for the Bisons, as Iowa recorded seven steals and built a 23-2 edge in points off turnovers. Iowa also held distinct advantages in points in the paint, (24-10) and fast-break points (10-0). In the second half, The Bisons struggled offensively, shooting 7-for-23 from the field and 1-for-8 from 3-point range, while Iowa went 15-for-29 from the field overall.
Freshman guard Jaidyn Coon and sophomore guard Ty’reek Coleman combined for 24 points off the bench for Iowa. Simpkins led the Bisons with 18 points and 2 steals. Redshirt freshman forward Devyn Martin added 11 points with seven rebounds, while redshirt senior guard Mateo Esmeraldo had four assists and five rebounds.
Iowa now (1-0) stays at home looking to extend its winning streak against Eastern Illinois on Friday, Nov. 6. Lipscomb is now (0-2) travels back home to Nashville to host SIU Edwardsville at Allen arena for its home opener Saturday, Nov. 7.
Featured Image courtesy of Iowa Athletics
Andreas Rizzi
Andreas Rizzi is a junior communication major from Chicago and Michigan. He brings a lifelong passion for sports and loves to call all sports while working as an analyst for ESPN+ on Lipscomb's campus. Andreas hopes to one day become an MLB broadcaster and become an analyst for the YES or MLB network.
