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No. 3 ISU 89, Iowa 80: Small-Ball Works… Until It Doesn't

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No. 3 ISU 89, Iowa 80: Small-Ball Works… Until It Doesn't


No. 3 ISU 89, Iowa 80: Small-Ball Works… Until It Doesn’t

IOWA CITY — Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger mentioned early and often in his postgame news conference that Iowa’s small-ball gameplan had the Cyclones on their heels for 35 minutes Thursday night.

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Unfortunately, games last 40, and Iowa couldn’t keep up the juice for what would have been a sterling upset, falling to the No. 3 Cyclones, 89-80, at a raucous Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

McCaffery threw a pregame curveball at the Cyclones, starting point guard Drew Thelwell for the first time this season — not to replace Brock Harding in the starting five, but forward/center Ladji Dembele.

It worked — until it didn’t. Iowa staked a 13-point lead in the first half, had it as high as nine in the second half, but faltered down the stretch during a 23-4 run to the visiting Cyclones in the second half. The Cyclones collected eight of their 18 offensive rebounds during that stretch, leading to seven second-chance points and numerous missed opportunities for Iowa to develop its own transition game.

“They spaced us out so well. They had such a great plan. They had us back on our heels for the first 35 minutes. That’s a huge credit to them. We play relatively well against good teams, and they were relentless. The last 4-5 minutes we were a little better guarding the dribble, we were a little better contesting, and finishing plays on the glass, and that allowed us to get out in transition.”

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Thelwell responded to his starting nod with a spirited 10-point, four-assist performance in 36 minutes of court time, but his shot — like his teammates — ran cold near the end, and even as the team’s leading rebounder, he (and his teammates) couldn’t keep the Cyclones from extending plays down the stretch.

“Being in position to rebound was extremely important,” said Otzelberger. “Tamin [Lipsey] being able to track down and keep possessions was important. Rebounding, there’s a skill piece to it, but so much comes down to heart, determination and effort.”

“We went small, so you run the risk of that happening,” said McCaffery. “I thought our small lineup was really good. We had two turnovers in the second half. Plenty of shot opportunities to win the game; we made a bunch, then didn’t make them. I could go big and get more rebounds, but then who knows what would happen on the other end?”

It’s a fair question, especially with Iowa State’s bevy of dangerous perimeter performers. But losing a game by 9 after being outscored on second-chance points 20-10 suggests a certain answer.

Indeed, even though Dembele was moved out of the starting lineup, he still earned 10 minutes of run in the first half, knocking down a pair of three-pointers and energizing the crowd. In a back-and-forth rivalry defined by great individual performances, it looked as if the “Ladji Dembele Game” would be a surprising next chapter in the series.

McCaffery left Dembele on the bench for all but 4:21 of the second half, and though the Malian sophomore center still made his only three-pointer of the second half, he wasn’t able to re-establish his presence on the glass — not that starting center Owen Freeman did either against the Cyclones’ bevy of bigs, finishing with just five rebounds.

“[Thelwell] was our leading rebounder,” said McCaffery. “And that’s good, except somewhat disappointing. We’ve got to do a better job across the board.”

Dembele strictly rotated with Freeman Thursday, so the two never shared the floor together. And while Dembele’s turn as a stretch-five off the bench seems to suit his skill set better than a middling run starting next to Freeman while Seydou Traore has been out — Traore returned to the rotation Thursday — one can’t help but wonder whether the Hawkeyes could have managed the stops they needed to maintain the lead with some extra size out there.

“I’m really proud of [Dembele],” McCaffery said. “I told him, ‘Come off the bench, play with confidence.’ He was getting a little tentative, and he wasn’t tentative at all tonight. He was great, and he should’ve played more. That’s on me.”

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At a minimum, these rotation mistakes are easier to swallow in early December than the Big Ten season — to say nothing of March, if Iowa can make it back to the Big Dance. And make no mistake: beating the No. 3 team in the nation would have gone a long way to legitimizing this dessert cart of a non-conference slate (the Hawkeyes’ current KenPom SOS rating: 311th out of 364, with two more cupcakes and Utah yet to face).

But even though it won’t improve their resume, the Hawkeyes gave a no-doubt top-five team 35 minutes of hell Thursday night, and now it’s up to McCaffery and the team to build off this lesson, painful as it may be.

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Vote: Who Should be Iowa’s High School Athlete of the Week? (4/19/2026)

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Vote: Who Should be Iowa’s High School Athlete of the Week? (4/19/2026)


Here are the candidates for High School on SI’s Iowa high school athlete of the week for April 13-18. Read through the nominees and cast your vote.

Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. PT on Sunday, April 26. The winner will be announced in the following week’s poll. Here are this week’s nominees:

Taylor Roose, Pella boys track and field

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Roose competed in three events at the Norwalk Invitational, winning all three in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and long jump.

Daxon Kiesau, Urbandale boys track and field

Kiesau swept the throwing events at the Norwalk Invitational, taking first place in the shot put and the discus.

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Alex Burger, Southeast Valley boys track and field

Competing at home, Burger dominated, earning four gold medals. He won the 400-meter hurdles and the long jump while running on the winning 4×200-meter relay and shuttle hurdle relay.

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Kolby Hodnefield, Clear Lake boys track and field

Hodenfield, a defending state champion, broke the meet, venue and school record in the 200 and the 400 at the Clear Lake Invitational. He added victories as part of the 4×100 and 4×400 relays. Both relays also set meet records.

Easton Moon, North Polk boys tennis

Moon has started off his senior season on the courts unbeaten, winning all four matches while dropping just one game in 44 played.

Ava Lohrbach, Gilbert girls golf

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One of the top golfers in the state, Lohrbach has had a hot start, firing a 35 in her nine-hole debut and a 72 for her 18-hole opener.

Nathan Manske, Algona boys golf

An elite quarterback and basketball player, Manske is showing his golfing skills this spring, coming out with a state-low 30 in a nine-hole event.

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Ella Hein, Tipton girls track and field

Hein set school records in the 400-meter run and long jump at the Tiger/Tigerette Relays while also locking in the Blue Standard and qualifying for the Drake Relays. She won the long jump (18-6) and was second in the 400.

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Maeve Bowen-Burt, Iowa City High girls track and field

The sophomore helped the Little Hawks land three Drake Relays events on the last night of qualifying, advancing in the 400 hurdles, along with the sprint medley and 4×400 relays.

About Our Athlete of the Week Voting

High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.

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Houston icon George Foreman laid to rest in Iowa, drawn by a peaceful 1988 visit

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Houston icon George Foreman laid to rest in Iowa, drawn by a peaceful 1988 visit


The late boxing great George Foreman lies buried in a cemetery in the northwestern corner of Iowa – a place he has no connection to outside of a lone visit to the region nearly 40 years ago.

Foreman died March 21, 2025, at the age of 76 in Houston and was buried in Logan Park Cemetery at Sioux City, Iowa, a month later, city officials confirmed. Foreman’s family returned Thursday to his burial site, holding a news conference with Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott to reveal Foreman’s burial place, marked by a large monument that bears an image of him as a teen following his Olympic gold medal boxing win.

The family explained in a statement released by Sioux City officials that he had visited the Iowa city in 1988, and often recalled the sense of peace he experienced there.

After traveling to the city on April 17 last year to bury Foreman, his family said they immediately understood the region’s appeal.

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“Our father lived a life of purpose, faith and gratitude,” the family said in a statement released by Sioux City officials. “To see him laid to rest in a place that brought him peace means everything to us.”

Scott joined the family at Foreman’s monument that lies just a few miles north of the Missouri River in an upper Midwest city of nearly 87,000 people. The cemetery overlooks the scenic Loess Hills, created by windblown silt deposits that reach up to 200 feet high (about 61 meters) and line the river along the Iowa border for 200 miles (322 kilometers).

“Their story is a reminder of how one place can stay with someone for a lifetime,” Scott said.

A native Texan, Foreman rose to fame when he made the 1968 U.S. Olympic boxing team, winning gold in Mexico City. He became the heavyweight champion of the world in 1973 by defeating the great Joe Frazier, only to lose the title a year later to Muhammad Ali in the famous “Rumble in the Jungle.”

A full 20 years later in 1994, Foreman became the oldest man to win the heavyweight championship at 45, defeating Michael Moorer in an epic upset.

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Foreman retired in 1997 with a 76-5 career record.

He then moved on to the next chapter in his life as a businessman, pitchman and occasional actor, becoming known to a new generation as the face of the George Foreman Grill. The simple cooking machine sold more than 100 million units and brought him more wealth than boxing.

A biographical movie based on Foreman’s life was released in 2023.

Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.



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GOP governor candidate Zach Lahn pitches Iowa-first platform at Dubuque town hall

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GOP governor candidate Zach Lahn pitches Iowa-first platform at Dubuque town hall


DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG) — About 50 Iowans braved the threat of severe storms to hear from Republican candidate for governor Zach Lahn at his town hall in Dubuque Friday night.

Lahn, a farmer and businessman, said his campaign is about solving the long-term systemic issues facing Iowans.

One priority is addressing what Lahn calls a cancer crisis in Iowa, as the state has the second-highest cancer rate in the country. Solving the crisis means ensuring Iowans have access to clean, nitrate-free drinking water, working with farmers to reduce agricultural runoff.

“Iowans are just ready for something that they should be able to count on, like clean drinking water,” Lahn said. “We have ways to clean up the drinking water in Iowa that isn’t on the backs of farmers, but is working alongside with them because they’re drinking the water too, and they want to do what’s right.”

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Lahn also wants to stop Iowa’s “brain drain,” as more of Iowa’s college graduates left the state for opportunities elsewhere.

“Don’t leave! Give me some time! I’m going to fight to keep you here,” Lahn said. “I was one of these kids. I thought I had to leave the state to find something better. We have to prioritize Iowa’s incentive dollars to make sure they’re going to grow Iowa businesses that are going to be here for the long haul, so our kids have places to work.”

Running a distinct campaign feels challenging this election, as Lahn is one of five GOP candidates who want to be Iowa’s next governor, facing U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, former Department of Administrative Services Director Adam Steen, state Rep. Eddie Andrews and former state Rep. Brad Sherman.

Iowa Auditor Rob Sand is the only Democrat running for the state’s top office.

Lahn said he stands out by promising Iowa will be for Iowans, pledging to ban the use of eminent domain for private gain and tax out-of-state landowners and data centers at higher rates to lower property taxes.

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“It always goes back to follow the money, so when it comes to not being a weak-kneed Republican today, I believe the paramount piece of that is answering only to the citizens of Iowa, not to special interests to pad their bottom line, but what’s best for the people of Iowa,” Lahn said.

Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.



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