Iowa Extends Big Ten Surge Behind Bennett Stirtz Career Night at Oregon

Iowa continued its climb in the Big Ten standings Sunday night by pairing offensive precision with control on both ends, rolling past an injury depleted Oregon team 84 to 66 at Matthew Knight Arena for its fourth straight victory.

Bennett Stirtz delivered the defining performance of the game, scoring a career high 32 points on 12 of 15 shooting while adding 7 assists in one of the most efficient outings by an Iowa guard this season. His command of tempo and shot selection fueled an offense that finished at 59 percent from the field and committed a season low 5 turnovers, a combination that consistently kept Oregon from generating sustained momentum.

Iowa improved to 16 and 5 overall and 6 and 4 in Big Ten play, continuing a stretch that has repositioned the Hawkeyes firmly in the conference middle tier with upward mobility as February approaches. Alvaro Folgueiras contributed 15 points and 8 rebounds, Brendan Hausen added 11, and Cooper Koch finished with 10 as Iowa recorded balanced scoring without sacrificing efficiency. The Hawkeyes also converted 10 of 22 attempts from three point range, reinforcing a spacing advantage throughout the night.

Oregon opened the second half with urgency, trimming the deficit to 5 behind consecutive three point plays by Kwame Evans Jr. and a dunk from Dezdrick Lindsay. The response was immediate. Stirtz scored 13 points over the next several minutes, repeatedly exploiting switches and late help before Koch finished inside to push the margin to 59 to 43 with 10 minutes remaining. Iowa never led by fewer than 9 points the rest of the way.

Evans led Oregon with 18 points on 6 of 14 shooting, while Takai Simpkins returned from an ankle injury to score 16 and Lindsay added 10. Oregon fell to 8 and 14 overall and 1 and 10 in conference play, extending its losing streak to 8 games and continuing a difficult stretch marked by roster instability.

The Ducks were without Jackson Shelstad, Nate Bittle, Ege Demir, and Devon Pryor due to injuries, forcing significant rotation adjustments. Senior walk on Drew Carter made his first career start. Carter, a 6 foot 3 guard in his second season with the program, previously played football at Colorado before transferring to Northern Colorado, where he appeared in 9 games during the 2023 to 2024 basketball season.

The latest loss underscored the gap Oregon faces as it navigates Big Ten play short handed, while Iowa’s recent consistency reflects a team settling into defined roles with measurable progress on both ends of the floor.

Iowa travels to Washington on Wednesday as it looks to extend its winning streak, while Oregon faces a significant challenge Saturday with a road matchup against No. 12 Purdue.