Indian Clarity

Light. Truth. Clarity.

Loading ad...
Sports

Bennett Stirtz scores 25 points as Iowa downs No. 9 Nebraska, 57-52

Story byAssociated PressWed, February 18, 2026 at 5:15 AM UTC·2 min readIOWA CITY, Iowa — Bennett Stirtz scored 25 points and Cooper Koch added 10 as Iowa overcame a cold-shooting second half to defeat No. 9 Nebraska 57-52 on Tuesday night. Iowa (19-7, 9-6 Big Ten) won despite not making a field goal over the final 4:59. The Hawkeyes were 7 of 28 from the field in the second half, including 3 for 13 on 3-pointers. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNebraska (22-4, 11-4), which has lost four of six, wasn’t much better.

Bennett Stirtz scores 25 points as Iowa downs No. 9 Nebraska, 57-52

Credit: Yahoo

Key Highlights

  • The Cornhuskers went 9 of 23 from the field, including 2 for 12 on 3s, and missed eight of their last 11 shots, going through an 11 1/2-minute stretch with just one basket. Stirtz scored 10 of Iowa’s final 14 points.
  • His jumper with 5:38 left gave the Hawkeyes a 47-45 lead, then he added a step-back 3 only 40 seconds later. Iowa was coming off back-to-back losses last week to Maryland and Purdue after a six-game winning streak. Pryce Sandfort, making his first appearance at Iowa since transferring after last season, led the Cornhuskers with 13 points.
  • Sandfort was booed and taunted by Iowa’s student section throughout the game, but hit two 3-pointers to become Nebraska’s single-season leader with 90. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementJamarques Lawrence added 11 points for Nebraska. Iowa had a 37-24 rebounding advantage.
  • Tavion Banks grabbed 10 boards. Iowa used a 14-2 run late in the first half to take a 33-28 halftime lead.
  • The Hawkeyes, who had a 19-6 rebounding edge in the half, built a 33-23 cushion with 58 seconds left before the Huskers scored the last five points, including Cale Jacobsen’s buzzer-beating 3. Both teams had their struggles in the first half.
Loading ad...

Sources

  1. Bennett Stirtz scores 25 points as Iowa downs No. 9 Nebraska, 57-52

This quick summary is automatically generated using AI based on reports from multiple news sources. The content has not been reviewed or verified by humans. For complete details, accuracy, and context, please refer to the original published articles.

Related Stories

Loading ad...