Terps can’t find a way to claw back against red-hot Hawkeyes in loss

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Tony Perkins scored a career-high 22 points on 10-for-13 shooting, Kris Murray made eight of 15 shots and finished with 19 points and Iowa men’s basketball won its fourth consecutive game Sunday, shooting a season-high 60% from the field in an 81-67 win over Maryland.

Ahron Ulis hit a jumper to give Iowa (12-6, 4-3 Big Ten) its first lead at 6-4 and the Terps trailed the rest of the way. Perkins scored five points and Payton Sandfort added four in a 9-2 spurt that made it 19-10 with nine minutes left in the first half.

The Hawkeyes hit three 3-pointers in a 15-3 run that stretched the lead to 16 about six minutes later.

The Terps scored on their final four offensive possessions of the half, but the Hawkeyes responded and carried a 43-33 lead into halftime. Both teams shot 50% or better in the first half; Maryland at 50% and Iowa at 57.6%.

Maryland came out of the gates firing to start the second half as both senior guard Hakim Hart and senior forward Donta Scott buried 3-pointers before Scott hit a hook shot to pull Maryland within 43-41.

With the Terps down 60-53 with 8:23 left to play, sophomore forward Julian Reese

picked up his fourth foul and had to head to the bench.

“I thought we took a step in the right direction, believe it or not. I thought we battled on the road,” Maryland coach Kevin Willard said. “Got down 14 and kept battling. We

came out in the second half and did some nice things. Just, our defensive intensity on the road is really lacking. I think that’s the thing I’m noticing more than anything. Even when we make runs, we’re not feeding off our runs and that’s something we’ll have to go back and watch the film, show these guys, and get back to work.”

Iowa is averaging 85.3 points during its win streak that began with a 91-89 victory at No.

15 Indiana — the most points the Hoosiers had allowed since a 112-110 loss to Syracuse on Nov. 30, 2021 — in which the Hawkeyes trailed by 21 points about seven minutes into the game.

Jahmir Young led Maryland (11-6, 2-4) with 20 points, Scott added 15 and 11 rebounds and Reese scored 10 points.

Sandfort and Connor McCaffery scored 12 points apiece for Iowa.

MATTHEW HOLST/GETTY Maryland’s Hakim Hart, left, battles for a rebound against Iowa forward Kris Murray during the first half of Sunday’s game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.

MATTHEW HOLST/GETTY Maryland guard Ian Martinez goes to the basket against Iowa guard Tony Perkins during the first half of Sunday’s game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.