After stunning upsets handed out to Purdue and Michigan State in the first two days of the NCAA tournament, Iowa looked like it would be the next Big Ten team to collapse.
But Adam Woodbury came to the rescue.
After a double-digit second-half lead melted away, an inexplicable foul on a 3-point shooter allowed Temple to force overtime and Iowa actually trailed in the extra period, the Hawkeyes' senior center came up with the play of the game, putting back a missed shot before the buzzer to give Iowa a 72-70 overtime win and advancement to the Round of 32.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
The Hawkeyes led by just a point at halftime, hot shooting drying up after Peter Jok and Jarrod Uthoff combined for 21 early points. But a 13-4 run in the first six and a half minutes of the second half had Iowa out in front by 10. The lead was still eight with five minutes to play, but Iowa went ice cold as Temple scored the next five points to come within three in the game's final minute. Jok split a pair of free throws to make it 62-58 with 18 seconds left, but Temple responded with a quick bucket to again slice it to a two-point game. Jok again split two free throws, leaving the deficit at three. Then, in an inexplicable occurrence, Anthony Clemmons fouled a 3-point shooter with just two seconds on the clock. Temple's Quenton DeCosey hit all three free throws to tie the game at 63 and force overtime. The Owls closed regulation on a 10-2 run over the final five minutes.
[SHOP BIG TEN: Get your Hawkeyes gear right here]
Iowa started the scoring in overtime with three free throws, but Temple answered with five straight points, including a three-point play by DeCosey that put the Owls in front by two. Jok's three-point play put Iowa back on top, and Clemmons split a pair of free throws, making it 70-68 with a minute left. Temple got a game-tying basket and forced a stop, but Daniel Dingle missed the front end of a 1-and-1, giving Iowa the final possession. Mike Gesell took a jump shot that missed everything but landed right in the hands of Woodbury, who put it back as time ran out to give the Hawkeyes a thrilling win.
Iowa was lucky to come away with the win despite shooting 34.8 percent from the field. But the Hawkeyes were 17-for-22 from the free-throw line, while the Owls attempted just nine shots from the stripe on the day. Iowa was beat up on the boards, 49-38, but hit seven 3-pointers, almost twice as many as Temple's four. The Hawkeyes only had three turnovers in 45 minutes, while the Owls turned it over 12 times.
Uthoff finished with a team-high 23 points, Jok close behind with 16. However, the scoring duo went a combined 12-for-36 from the field, including 5-for-20 from 3-point range. Woodbury added 10 points, the only other Hawkeye in double figures.
Iowa now moves on to the Round of 32, where it will square off against second-seeded Villanova.