The Iowa Hawkeyes got off to a great start against the UCLA Bruins on Friday night, but it didn’t take long for things to stagnate.

After intercepting UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers a couple of times, resulting in Iowa jumping out to a 10-0 lead, the Hawkeyes allowed 17 unanswered points themselves, resulting in a seven-point deficit at the half.

Luckily for Iowa, Garbers fumbled into the end zone on UCLA’s second to last drive of the half, and the Hawkeyes recovered the ball for a touchback. So, things could have been much worse.

But while the Hawkeyes’ defense certainly made some magic happen in the first half, collecting three turnovers, this is not the way Iowa was hoping to perform against UCLA.

Brendan Sullivan went 5-for-7 with 138 yards and an interception, and Kaleb Johnson carried the ball nine times for just 31 yards and a touchdown.

The Hawkeyes’ offense was certainly looking better with Sullivan under center rather than Cade McNamara over the past couple of weeks, but it’s not exactly like Sullivan was throwing the football incredibly well against Northwestern and Wisconsin.

Sullivan had been making plays happen with his legs, but that wasn’t really available for the signal-caller over the first 30 minutes versus UCLA.

The Bruins also dominated possession, running 43 plays compared to 22 for the Hawkeyes.

Perhaps in a way, Iowa is fortunate that the game is as close as it is heading into the half, because a better opponent probably would have buried the Hawkeyes.

We’ll see if Iowa, which has already turned the ball over twice, can turn things around in the second half.

A state lawmaker is calling for the University of Iowa to fire a physician who published an inflammatory social media post opposing President-elect Donald Trump after Tuesday’s general election.

UI Health Care medical fellow Mayank Sharma posted a response Wednesday to a post from a pro-Trump account stating: “Well I hope you lose your kid in a school shooting. Already you have nothing to lose, it won’t matter to you anyways! Prepare for your kids funeral.”

The post prompted Iowa House Education Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Carter Nordman to write a letter to University of Iowa President Barbara Wilson calling for Sharma’s removal. Nordman called the post “repulsive” and “deeply unprofessional” and questioned Sharma’s mental health, accusing him of suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

Sharma, whose UI pediatric cardiology fellowship is from 2023-26, according to an archived version of a UI website, is no longer listed as a UI Health Care current fellow as of Thursday. His X account is also deactivated. The Register could not find Sharma’s contact information for comment.

UI Health Care spokesperson Laura Shoemaker wrote in a statement that the university is aware of the situation and is reviewing it in accordance with its policies.

“The University of Iowa strongly objects to violence,” Shoemaker wrote.

Under the First Amendment, an incident has to fall under specific guidelines if the university were to take action after an employee posts offensive or false messages on their personal social media accounts, according to the UI’s free speech website.

“The university may be obligated to act to prevent harm to the university, our campus community, and its mission. For instance, when an employee’s personal expression violates university policy, such as engaging in threatening or intimidating speech towards a co-worker, the university may be compelled to intervene to maintain a safe or efficient work environment,” the website reads.

Nordman said he believes Sharma’s post is in violation of three parts of the Iowa Administrative Code. He said Sharma “should update the Iowa Board of Medicine on his ability to engage in practice and provide patients with safe and healthful care based on Iowa Administrative Code 653-10.3(3)(b)(8).”

Nordman told the Register since he sent the letter to UI officials Thursday afternoon, they told him they are investigating.

“I think my letter has made it very clear what I think me and most of my colleagues would like to see,” Nordman said. “I find it difficult to believe that he’s mentally capable of providing health care to children when he is making statements like that.”

He said he doesn’t believe Iowa lawmakers need to police public employees’ social media and their First Amendment rights, however, Sharma’s post is an outlier.

“He is an individual who works with children and who is being paid by Iowa taxpayers to work with children and is hoping and making claims that somebody dies in a school shooting based off of a political belief,” Nordman said. “I almost think it’s a borderline threat.”

Sabine Martin covers politics for the Register. She can be reached by email at sabine.martin@gannett.com or by phone at (515) 284-8132. Follow her on X at @sabinefmartin. 

IOWA CITY — It was late in the first half of Thursday’s contest between Iowa and Southern that Pryce Sandfort became acutely aware that this was, so to speak, his night.

With the shot clock running down, point guard Brock Harding got caught in the air as he tried to salvage the possession and flung a desperation pass to Sandfort in the corner. Pryce Sandfort corralled the low delivery and let a 3-pointer rip before the shot clock sounded.

“It felt really good,” Sandfort recalled. “And it was money. So that’s probably when I was like, yeah, it’s my night.”

For a while, Sandfort was pitching the basketball equivalent of a perfect game. It wasn’t until a little more than five minutes left in the game — after eight makes from the field, including six from deep — that Sandfort missed his first shot.

It was, Sandfort confirmed after the game, like blacking out. 

“Yeah, pretty much,” Sandfort said. “Obviously, I’m not trying to force — still get good shots. But every time I was going up in that zone, it felt like it was going in. So it feels good.”

Sandfort did end up missing shots — only two to be exact. But his final stat line was still remarkably efficient. He finished the night with a career-high 22 points on 8-of-10 from the field and 6-of-8 from deep, plus four rebounds off the bench in Iowa’s 89-74 victory.

Two games into the 2024-25 regular season, the sophomore is quickly emerging as a serious weapon for the Hawkeyes.

“He’s been playing like that,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “He really has been since the summer. Really consistently shooting the ball well, consistently playing well at both ends. Been much more aggressive driving the ball, making plays.

Video: Fran McCaffery discusess Iowa’s win over Southern University

Fran McCaffery discusses a variety of topics following Iowa’s win over Southern University on Thursday.

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Named 2023 Iowa Mr. Basketball as a senior at Waukee Northwest, Pryce Sandfort’s game did not immediately translate in his freshman season for the Hawkeyes. There were clear growing pains in the transition to the college level as Sandfort played sparingly and was just a limited factor.

That sparked a change behind the scenes. Sandfort suggested that he move to scout team during practice in hopes of playing more freely. McCaffery said this isn’t unheard of — a player desiring to transition to scout team — but it is a rarity.

“He just got back to being who he is,” McCaffery said. “The guy was Mr. Basketball for a reason. He was the best player in the state. And he was trying to fit in. He was a freshman and trying to be solid. It’s like, dude, you need to go make plays, you need to be aggressive, you need to drive the ball, you need to impact the game with your length, with your size, with your shooting.”

Sandfort showed small doses of what he could do toward the end of last season. During a stretch in February, he made 5-of-8 3-pointers during Big Ten play.

That set the stage for the offseason. Sandfort added some weight to his lanky 6-foot-7 frame. At Iowa basketball’s media day, McCaffery raved about the way Sandfort had been shooting leading up to his sophomore season.

In a small sample size, that is already being validated. Sandfort scored 11 in Iowa’s exhibition against Minnesota Duluth, all of which came in the second half. He set a then-career-high 13 points in Monday’s regular-season opener against Texas A&M-Commerce. That didn’t last long as Sandfort shattered his record yet again with the 22-point outing against Southern on Thursday.

To fellow sophomore Owen Freeman, the way Sandfort is playing isn’t exactly a surprise. What Sandfort has done out of the public eye is now coming to light.

“I kinda got to see it all last year,” Freeman said. “He helped us with scout, so he kinda killed us when he was on the scout team, too. I’ve been seeing it for a while.”

Owen Freeman: Iowa needs to take ‘more pride in getting stops’ defensively

Owen Freeman discusses a variety of topics following Iowa’s win over Southern University on Thursday.

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If this can be sustained — and that remains a big if — it would be a meaningful development for Iowa.

The Hawkeyes’ success this season hinges not only on the play of the big three — Payton Sandfort, Owen Freeman and Josh Dix — but also an ability to get contributions outside of them.

Iowa did so on Thursday.

Payton Sandfort, Owen Freeman and Josh Dix combined for 46 points. But the Hawkeyes also got 35 bench points, 22 of which came via Pryce Sandfort and 12 of which were delivered by Morehead State transfer Drew Thelwell. Pryce Sandfort and Drew Thelwell have now scored in double figures in each of Iowa’s first two games.

More: Iowa men’s basketball puts on impressive shooting display in win over Southern

The glamor of Iowa’s 18 made 3-pointers — one-third of them by Pryce Sandfort — was somewhat dampened by an uninspiring end to the game. Iowa, which led by 25 points with a little more than three minutes remaining, let Southern finish the game on a 10-0 run, making the final score appear less decisive. Freeman was adamant after the game that Iowa needs to take more pride in getting stops defensively.

Iowa is still clearly a work in progress — as many teams are at this point in the season. But the more storylines to materialize like that of Pryce Sandfort, the brighter the future looks for the Hawkeyes.

“It feels really good,” Pryce Sandfort said. “I’ve pictured these moments in my head all throughout last year and in the offseason. So now that it’s here, it feels really good that all that hard work paid off.”

Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com