Hawkeyes Hold on at Virginia

Iowa Outlasts Cavaliers in ACC-B1G Challenge

Iowa Hawkeyes forward Keegan Murray (15) drives to the basket against Virginia Cavaliers forward Jayden Gardner (1) during the first half of their Nov. 29, 2021 at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va. (Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports)

Joe Toussaint has prepared to make big shots.

So, with the ball in his possession, and the final seconds dwindling in Iowa’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge game at Virginia, what Toussaint had to do was, he said, “simple.”

“Go make a play,” Toussaint said. “The ball is in my hands. Go make a play.”

Which he did.

Toussaint’s bank shot with eight seconds left gave the Hawkeyes a 75-74 win, keeping them undefeated on a night when they survived letting a 21-point first-half lead get away.

Patrick McCaffery’s block of Kadin Shedrick’s putback attempt as time expired sealed the win, the final play on a night when the Hawkeyes had every answer.

“We had Joe T get the ball and step up and make a huge play,” said sixth-year guard Jordan Bohannon, who had a game-high 20 points. “And that’s what our team’s about. When there’s adversity, we don’t let that diminish us.”

The shot that Toussaint hit was born in his individual workouts, when he tries different shots in imaginary pressure situations.

“Layups, step-back threes, floaters in the lane, in a limited time.” Toussaint said. “I just practiced those shots. That shot was just a regular shot for me, to be honest.”

“The moment wasn’t too big for him,” forward Keegan Murray said. “He’s built for it. He’s a competitor.”

Iowa (7-0), facing its most difficult competition to date, trailed twice in the final 1 ½ minutes yet came up with big plays both times.

The first came from Bohannon, who hit a 3-pointer with 1:20 to play to put Iowa up 73-71.

Then, with Iowa down 74-73, Toussaint delivered.

The moments were perfect, coach Fran McCaffery said, for his starting backcourt.

“You’ve got two guys back there,” McCaffery said, “who are incredibly tough mentally.”

“We didn’t let anything rile us up,” Bohannon said.

There was one more play to be made, though, and it came from McCaffery’s son.

Kihei Clark’s floating shot in the lane missed, and the rebound went to Shedrick. But as Shedrick tried a final putback, Patrick McCaffery came up from behind and blocked the shot as the buzzer sounded.

“Patrick came in, saved the day,” Toussaint said. “Smacked the ball into the fifth row.”

“What a great block,” Fran McCaffery said. “A game-saving block. He timed it, he went in there and got it.”

The Hawkeyes, with so many players playing a road game in front of fans for the first time, never wavered against the Cavaliers (5-3), known as one of the top defensive teams in the nation.

Iowa shot 56.7 percent in the first half, building a 40-19 lead with 3:39 left before Virginia got to within 44-30 at halftime.

“We made a punch to start the game, and they punched us right back at the end of the first half,” Bohannon said. “And they were right there with us in the second half.”

There was no intimidation, Bohannon said, adding that word isn’t something the Hawkeyes use.

“We never get intimidated as a team. It never crosses our mind,” Bohannon said. “I believe we’re all dogs on this team. When one guy falls down, we all have each other’s backs.

“To beat Virginia at Virginia, you have to play your best game of the year. I knew last night, when we were eating the team dinner, everyone was locked in and focused on this game.”

Iowa committed four turnovers for the game, and their 44 first-half points were the most Virginia has allowed in a first half in a home game during Tony Bennett’s 13 seasons as coach.

Bohannon had 12 of his points in the first half, then spent the second half in constant harassment by the Cavaliers. Still, he not only hit critical shots, but he had the assist on a lob to Murray for a dunk that gave Iowa a 68-61 lead with 4:01 to play.

“Boy, he made some huge plays,” McCaffery said.

Murray, who came into the game leading the nation in scoring, had 18 points. Toussaint had 10, the last two the biggest of all.

“He was spectacular tonight,” McCaffery said of Toussaint. “He’s as tough as they come.”