Iowa might be onto something, considering what the Hawkeyes got from Cooper Koch and Bennett Stirtz on Tuesday.
Koch, the freshman who was granted a medical redshirt after only playing 10 games last season, had his best game in an Iowa uniform to help the Hawkeyes to a 74-69 win over Ole Miss as part of the Acrisure Series, a 20-team college basketball event at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert.
The 6-foot-8 forward swished three free throws in the final minute and finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds on 5-of-7 shooting from the field. His layup with 7:08 to play gave Iowa a lead they did not relinquish.
Stirtz, the star point guard who came over from Drake with first-year Iowa head coach Ben McCollum, led the Hawkeyes (6-0) with 29 points.
“That was a different level,” McCollum said of Koch. “That is what we are hoping we get consistently.”
AJ Storr led Ole Miss with 22 points.
Iowa will now face Grand Canyon on Wednesday for a championship in the four-team pod as part of the vent. The Antelopes topped Utah, 68-58 on Tuesday to advance.
Both Iowa and Ole Miss entered the game this week at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert with unbeaten records. The two teams were tied, 31-31, at the intermission and exchanged leads throughout the first 13 minutes of the second half.
Then Iowa pulled away, powered by 6-of-13 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 from the free throw line in the final seven minutes.
Koch grabbed four rebounds over the crucial stretch, including an offensive board with 50 seconds remaining that extended Iowa’s lead from five points to seven.
McCollum said that this was the best he’s seen from Koch since arriving at Iowa.
“He had a really good intrasquad scrimmage this fall,” McCollum said. “During the summer, it took him a while to acclimate to what we do.”
Koch played in 10 games last season for the Hawkeyes, but a collapsed lung affected his play, and his season was officially over after a Jan. 3 game at Wisconsin. He averaged 4.6 points per game.
After the season, Koch entered the transfer portal after head coach Fran McCaffery was fired. But he opted to return and there was belief that he could thrive in McCollum’s system that features versatile shooting forwards.
With Stirtz, one of the top guards in the nation, Iowa was considered a borderline top 25 team entering the season. The Hawkeyes were among the teams receiving votes who were just outside the top 25 in Monday’s poll.
Tuesday’s win shows why some have faith in this group. Stirtz’s presence helps, but if Koch can emerge as a secondary star it will only further validate the Hawkeyes’ position early in the season.
“To win in the Big Ten you need to win battles like this,” McCollum said. “You just try to win the games and do whatever works. That’s what happened tonight.”
Henley leads Antelopes
Jaden Henley scored 18 points and Efe Demirel added 12 off the bench to help Grand Canyon Tuesday at the Acrisure Classic.
The Antelopes shot 0-for-10 from 3 and just 40% from the field in the game, but forced 14 turnovers and turned the ball over just six times in the win. They also went to the free throw line 32 times versus just 18 times for the Utes.
Andrew John covers sports for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Cooper Koch has breakthrough in Iowa’s win over Ole Miss
Reporting by Andrew John, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
