Payton Sandfort leads Iowa's second-half rally in win over Utah

Payton Sandfort scored 24 points to lead Iowa to a come-from-behind 95-88 victory over Utah in a neutral-site nonconference game Saturday in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Sandfort tallied 19 points in the second half, when the Hawkeyes (9-3) turned an 11-point deficit into their own double-digit lead. He also grabbed eight rebounds.

Lawson Lovering had a career-high 25 points and Mason Madsen contributed 24 points with six 3-pointers, six rebounds and four assists for the Utes.

This was Iowa's first-ever win over Utah (8-3), which beat the Hawkeyes in the second round of the NIT last spring.

Owen Freeman added 16 points, Josh Dix and Drew Thelwell each had 15 and Brock Harding contributed 12 points, as all five Iowa starters scored in double figures in the win.

Utah, which wrapped up its nonconference slate, opened the second half on a 7-0 run to take a 47-36 lead.

Iowa chipped away at the Utes' advantage, finally catching up at 63-63 after Sandfort scored six in a row for the Hawkeyes.

The teams traded leads over the next few minutes until Sandfort gave Iowa the lead for good with a layup at the 6:45 mark.

That sparked a 15-5 surge for Iowa, which seized a 10-point lead, 90-80, after a Josh Dix layup with 2:15 remaining.

The Hawkeyes scored the first seven points and held Utah scoreless for the first three minutes and 44 seconds.

Iowa led 21-14 when the Utes made their first move. Madsen hit three 3-pointers and Lovering added a couple of layups in a 13-3 run that gave Utah a 27-24 lead.

Thelwell and Sandfort hit 3-pointers around a Mason Madsen layup as Iowa regained a one-point advantage.

Madsen hit his fourth 3 of the half in a 7-2 run and the Utes took a 40-36 lead into the break after Madsen assisted Lovering on a last-second dunk.

--Field Level Media