The Gophers men’s basketball team completely unraveled in a 90-85 loss to Iowa in a Sunday matinee at Carver Hawkeye Arena.
Minnesota had opened up a 62-42 lead with 16 minutes left, but the Hawkeyes took over once Dawson Garcia was injured and the U missed 16 of their final 20 shots.
Like the lead, Minnesota’s recent momentum has gone poof.
The Gophers (15-8, 6-6 Big Ten) watched a three-game winning streak ends alongside their chance for its second straight Quad 1 win after a 59-56 victory over Michigan State on Tuesday.
Iowa (14-10, 6-7), a 7.5-point favorite, outscored Minnesota 52-34 in the second half to win in Iowa City. A huge 19-2 run turned the game on its head.
Minnesota had red-hot shooting and then went ice cold.
Garcia was cruising with a team-high 18 points when he was injured while playing defense on a Hawkeyes drive to the basket during the second half. He exited the game with 15 minutes remaining, went into the locker room and didn’t return to the game.
The U jumped out to a 15-6 lead in the first five minutes on the back of a 8-0 run. Iowa responded to cut the U lead to 26-24 with eight minutes left.
Minnesota continued to hit 3-pointers, with consecutive treys from Mike Mitchell Jr. to open up a game-high 17-point lead at 51-34.
The U had not led in any of its first 11 Big Ten games, but were up 51-38 at the break Sunday.
The Gophers were able to stake a big lead and keep it despite four players — Elijah Hawkins, Pharrel Payne, Isaiah Ihnen and Parker Fox — each picking up four fouls. Hawkins and Payne played fewer than six minutes apiece in the first half.
In the first half, Garcia had 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting in the first half, while Mitchell and Braeden Carrington each added 11 points. Minnesota made 8 of 12 from 3-point range.
Minnesota lost 86-77 to Iowa at home on Jan. 15. Hawkeyes big man Ben Krikke hurt the U with a team-high 25 points, while Garcia had a game-high 30 points.