PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers men's basketball took a tough loss to Iowa 76-65 at Jersey Mike's Arena on Sunday.

 Iowa opened the game shooting well from the floor, opening 7-of-11 from the field and making four early threes for a 19-9 early advantage. The Hawkeyes extended that lead to 13 at 30-17, the largest deficit RU had faced in big ten play 

Rutgers then responded with a 10-2 run, holding Iowa scoreless for 3 minutes to get back within 4 at 34-30. However, Iowa ended the half with an 8-0 run for a 12-point halftime lead.  

Coming out of halftime, the Hawkeyes started with a 12-6 spurt to extend the lead to 18 points. Rutgers was energized by a 12-0 run to get the lead back into single digits. The Scarlet Knights held Iowa scoreless for six minutes of action to get the crowd back into the game.

Payton Sandfort hit three three-pointers for Iowa, pushing the team's lead to 64-53. Rutgers used a late 8-2 run to get back within six at 71-65, but RU got no closer.  

Rutger Athletics honored the 1983 men's basketball team at halftime. Attendees included John Battle, Chris Remley, Mark Sokolich, Tom Young Jr. and assistant coach Art Perry.

Cam Spencer led RU with 13 points, while Caleb McConnell had 12. RU is back in action Wednesday night at Northwestern. 



Postgame Quotes 
 
Rutgers Head Coach Steve Pikiell
 
Opening Statement:
"Thanks for being here. I want to thank our crowd. They were awesome today. They were a big help getting down 18. Iowa, (the) best offensive team in the league, and they looked the part. They were ranked a few weeks ago. They look every bit of a ranked team tonight against us. We've done a really good job of defending three-point land and we didn't tonight, that hurt us. Coach (Fran) McCaffery does a great job and they have got a lot of weapons. You have to play better when you're playing a team that – in the last 20 minutes at the Indiana game and today – that's as good a 60 minutes as anyone's played in this league. So, give them a tip of the hat coming in this tough environment. Coach McCaffery does a great job and you know, they got the win. We've got to have short memories here. This was our third game in five days. We have another game coming right up against a really good Northwestern team. So we've got to flip the page and get ready for them."
 
On Iowa's shot making at the start of the game:
"We missed layups to start the game. We missed a lot of layups and timely baskets, but they got off to a good start. They're a really good passing team. There's not one guy on their roster that has a negative assist-to-turnover ratio. Every guy can pass. They got the ball moving around and they got a lot of guys. (Payton) Sandfort, who had been struggling up until their Indiana game, really made some huge shots – timely shots and I thought some tough shots down the stretch. But you can't get off to that kind of start, especially against a team that scores the way they do."
 
On three games in five games potentially causing fatigue:
"Well, I think (it's) a little bit of everything. It's a tough stretch – five days and three tough games. It was a good week for us up until today. But again, they were good. They were really good and we have to play a lot better than we played today to beat an Iowa team that's playing at that level."
 
On layups vs. Iowa's zone:
"Yeah, I mean, we got layups. You've got to finish them. Obviously, they've got some big players. Their center is having a really good year and he'll challenge some things at the rim. I did think we had some very makeable shots around the basket, and we just needed to cash in on some of those and some timely threes. They were up 18 in the second half, we cut it to six. We played hard. It was a good basketball game if you weren't coaching it, you would probably enjoy (it). Really quality teams. But they got the best of us today. Our defense wasn't where it needed to be. Our defense has been great all year long. I don't think there's been one game that I didn't like our defense, but we did some uncharacteristic things today that we've got to make sure we straighten up. But when you are down 18, you do those kinds of things."
 
On message to team after falling behind 18 points:
"I even told these guys at halftime, we're down. but we've got to play like Rutgers basketball. We kind of plugged away in the second half, we kind of chipped away. But again, when it got close and we got it to six, they made some really timely plays. Your defense has to be outstanding when you're down 18. You have no margin for error and they are too good of a basketball team to do that."
 
On Derek Simpson coming off the bench for Paul Mulcahy in the first half:
"He does that and he needs to continue doing that for us. He can change speeds and he's fearless getting to the rim and getting shots up. I thought he had a couple of timely possessions that I'd like to have back, driving baseline, turning the ball over and doing some different things. These are all learning experiences for him. That team is very different from any team in our league – the way they play and the way they pass the ball. So, he'll continue to learn from that. He'll devour some film. Derek's a good player. He just needs some more experience."
 
On three-point shooting:
"Today, we didn't shoot the ball the way we have, But I trust all my guys (that) when they get good threes, they're going to make them. Some days they don't go in, and I say that to guys all the time. It's impossible to play in this league and (think) shots are gonna go in every time. You've got to get through those tough days, too, when they're not going. You've got to rebound better. We got out-rebounded, that's another thing. I really thought more finish around the rim, finish some of those plays in the lane, that would have really helped us a great deal. They made threes too, and we've been defending the three as well as any team, maybe number one in the country. They made threes and they haven't been shooting the ball like that. Today was a great day for them. Hopefully, we'll have a great day coming up from three-point land too."
 
On the team showing support for Iowa's Pat McCaffery as he deals with anxiety:
"Well, first of all, Coach McCaffery and his family, those kids play so hard, I need four more kids like that in my family. College basketball is tough, it is. What these kids go through, and if you heard some of the messages that kids get, I mean. He's a great kid, he's a great student, he's a great basketball player. The things that they have to deal with mentally are just real tough and I have a ton of sympathy. I'm so out of social media that this stuff – I don't spend any time on it. But, I knew what life was like without the phone in my hand. They don't. Mental health is so important. These kids come out every day. This guy (Cam Spencer) will be in the gym. These guys were in the gym this morning at 7:30 getting shots up. We watched film the other night until whatever time. (I) just root for these kids, that's what I do. For what the McCaffery's are going through – I just want him to be better and to have fun playing basketball. And I want that for all the players, it's a special time in your life and if you're not bogged down with the mental stress of all that stuff. I told you before, I had my mom always saying 'great game' no matter what and I had to listen to Coach Calhoun. I didn't know what everyone else was saying and I didn't let any of that (get to me). What these guys have to deal with – I think Trayce Jackson-Davis put out something (said to him). If you ever saw some of the things that I read that these guys share with me, it's tough and I feel for them mentally as they're enjoying college and learning how to be an adult and making great decisions and trying to figure out what you're going to major in and for all those different things. And then you've got the weight of the world sometimes on you, too. I just hope he gets better and that it was just something little. I really root for kids, root for kids in this league, root for kids that are playing college athletics. I want that for my son to enjoy college and not worry. You can't play every game great and you're going to have some tough days. And you just move on from it. I'm just rooting for him, I'm really just rooting for him. I want him to get back and healthy and feel good about what he's done because he's a special, special young man playing basketball in this league."
 
On supporting the mental health of student-athletes:
"You can bring in everybody to speak to him. Cam does it best. He doesn't have social media, so he's blessed. I try to get them to stay off. I tried to tell them to put it down. We had Anthony Ashnault come in and speak to us about the year he won the national championship and he spent four years listening and his mood was going up and down with the social media. That year, he honed in on what was important to him, which was winning wrestling matches and taking care of his body and getting the sleep he needs at night. He said it was his breakthrough year. I try to get different people to talk but I also will tell you, they never live without the phone. I know what life was like without it, I know what it's like with. There's some great things about it, but there's some tough things too, and these kids have to deal with a lot of stuff that we didn't. I don't have any experience in that area, you know, so it's a hard thing too. You've got to bring people in that do, and people that can handle those kinds of things. And we do that a lot. We have some terrific sports medicine people here, too – psychologists, sports psychologists, that do a great job for us. So we're blessed. Pat does an unbelievable job with the whole athletic department with those resources. But you've still got to use them and you've still got to try to avoid some of the pitfalls  of it."

Iowa Head Coach Fran McCaffrey
 
Opening Statement:
"I just want to say what a class operation Rutgers is. Over the years, I've become friends with Pat Hobbs and Steve Pikiell both. I coached against Steve when he was playing. Pat came by practice yesterday to offer his well wishes for my Patrick. The Rutgers basketball team filled out a card to wish him luck as he goes through what he's going through. I don't know how many programs would do that. But that speaks to how Pat Hobbs is and how Steve Pikiell is. I just wanted to say that. We're supposed to hate each other I guess. But that's not the way it is. We're competitors. We fight. But we're all in this thing together. We're all on this journey together, I guess is a better way to put it."
 
On the ability to win this game:
"Well, I think the key to it all is we got off to a good start. You got to get off to a good start. As you know, they're not an easy team to play against. They're really connected defensively. They're really physical defensively. They have size, not just with Cliff but with their wings. Their guards are big so you got to move the ball and you got to take care of the ball against the press. They've had success with pressure against a number of different teams. You got to handle the pressure, you got to handle the physicality, and eventually you got to make shots. We made shots and we continue to make shots. We had that one stretch in the second half when they made the run at us. I thought we were starting to milk the clock a little bit, you know, you're up 12 with 10 minutes to go, you gotta go, you can't do that, especially here. So we started attacking. Of course Sanfort was phenomenal, so proud of him."
 
On Sanfort giving lift in second half:
"A huge lift, and what has to happen, you get a guy who's cooking like that. You gotta go to him. It's one thing for me to go to him, but everybody on the court has to be together on that. So we have got to load him up, we got to screen for him, we got to hit him in the shot pocket because they were getting after him defensively. He's not gonna be able to pop out, catch the ball, and shoot a three. He's gonna have intense pressure on him. So we screened for him and we delivered the ball on time. So when he's hot like that he can do that. I've seen him do that many times."
 
On Phillip's defense against Cliff:
 "Well Phillip is as tough a guy as there is. He's gonna fight you. Cliffs a handful. He's so long and bouncy. We doubled him, which a lot of teams do to try to get it out of his hands. And then we went out to make him play defense. His performance, really one of the main reasons we won the game. He was so physical and tough and effective at both ends."
 
On team's resolve:
 
"We knew we were going to need it. This game above most teams you're gonna watch, you know they're gonna keep coming. Pike's teams have always done that. This is a veteran group and they don't rattle. They're gonna make shots coming down the stretch, they're gonna get to the free throw line, they're going to hit them with their press. So the composure that's necessary in those situations is what gets you home. We had a couple turnovers but we made our free throws, we executed with one second on the clock. That was huge." 
 
On Rutgers this year in comparison to prior years:
"They were really good last year. Geo and Harper were a handful. So you look at that and say well they lose a lot. But you  figure with McConnell Mulcahy you've got two veteran guys that are really good players. The Portal can go one of two ways and Steve has done a really good job of incorporating a guy whose skill set fits everybody else on the floor. Mag and Hyatt they've taken their game to the next level, which was something he probably figured needed to happen coming into the season but he also has two of them. They're phenomenal athletes with tremendous athletic power and Cliff's one of the best bigs in the country. Simpson's a terrific freshman. Love that kid. He's got some other quality guys that are ready to step up. So they're tough to beat no matter who plays.

Postgame Notes

• Iowa is third nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.68). Against RU's defense, they were at 1.13 (17 assists, 15 turnovers) 
• Iowa is ninth in the country in turnovers per game (10.1) with a season-high of 18. Against RU's defense, they turned the ball over 15 times.  
• The Hawkeyes have the top scoring offense in the Big Ten at 81.7 points per game. Against RU's defense, they scored 76.  
  • RU has now held all 16 of its opponents to date under their scoring average  
• Caleb McConnell had four steals, passing Mike Jones and tying Rob Hodgson for sixth all-time at RU in steals (176).  
• 14 NBA scouts were credentialed for the contest