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10th-seeded Iowa rallies 79-72 over Cincinnati

By JOE KAY

AP Sports Writer

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Luka Garza scored 20 points, Jordan Bohannon made a three-point play during Iowa’s closing surge, and the 10th-seeded Hawkeyes kept the Big Ten perfect in the NCAA Tournament by rallying for a 79-72 victory over No. 7 seed Cincinnati on Friday.

Make it 6-0 for the Big Ten.

The Hawkeyes (23-11) got their first NCAA Tournament win in four years despite what amounted to a home crowd for the Bearcats, who couldn’t overcome a subpar game by Jarron Cumberland.

Bohannon’s big play with 1:07 left put Iowa up 73-64. Then Bohannon, who has missed only nine free throws all season, made one of two with 18 seconds left to help finish off another Big Ten win.

The league sent eight teams into the field, the most in its history, and five of them won their opening games Thursday. Iowa was the first of three Big Ten teams playing Friday, along with Ohio State and Wisconsin.

For Cincinnati (28-7), it was another early flameout. The Bearcats haven’t made it past the opening weekend for seven straight years.

Point guard Justin Jenifer score a career-high 19 points for Cincinnati, keeping the Bearcats in the game despite a subpar game from Cumberland. The American Athletic Conference’s player of the year went only 3 of 9 from beyond the arc and finished with 18 points.

Cincinnati has been an NCAA Tournament regular, but hasn’t reached the Sweet 16 since 2012. As a No. 2 seed last year, the Bearcats blew 22-point lead with 11 minutes left and lost to Nevada, matching the second-biggest meltdown in NCAA Tournament history.

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