MISSED SHOT

The Iowa Hawkeyes might want to consider taking a page out of their coach's book when it comes to free throw shooting.\nIowa coach Steve Alford -- a career 90 percent free throw shooter at IU -- watched his team nearly squander a 70-67 win at Assembly Hall Saturday, as the Hawks missed eight foul shots in the game's final four minutes.\n"I thought it was a combination of missed free throws and not getting enough stops down the stretch that really allowed them to get into the game," Alford said. "Each one you miss, you get kind of more and more tense."\nThe Hawkeyes (19-6, 8-3 Big Ten) snapped IU's 13-game conference home winning streak, despite connecting on only one of two free throws in eight of their nine final visits to the line.\nBut the sentiment of blown opportunity was echoed on the opposing sideline.\nThe Hoosiers (13-8, 5-5), without IU coach Mike Davis, who stayed home with flu-like symptoms, failed to capitalize on plenty of chances to steal the game, as Iowa's final field goal came at the 6:06 mark.\nWith 12 seconds to go, senior forward Marco Killingsworth missed a chance to force overtime. Down 67-64, he went up strong underneath the basket for the lay-in and Iowa forward Greg Brunner fouled him. The ball nearly fell in, bouncing off the back of the rim, and Killingsworth went on to hit only one foul shot.\n"We weren't really clicking until late, and when we got clicking it was too late," Killingsworth said.\nWith the score at 70-67, sophomore guard A.J. Ratliff caught the ball and went up for a buzzer-beating open runner around the NBA three-point range, but the ball rattled off the back of the rim.\n"It would have been nice to have (Robert) Vaden ready to take that shot," IU assistant coach Donnie Marsh said about sophomore guard Robert Vaden, who fouled out at the 27-second mark. "I think if (Ratliff) gets his feet under him, he probably has a better chance of getting that."\nMarsh took over head coaching responsibilities in place of the ailing Davis.\nRiding a 13-4 run, and down 61-53, IU missed plenty of chances to get it close. First, senior guard Marshall Strickland missed a 3-pointer, then stole the ball from Iowa guard Jeff Horner. On the ensuing possession, freshman center Ben Allen missed a 3-pointer. Killingsworth grabbed the offensive rebound, but failed to make the put-back amid contact from Brunner.\nIn the next minute and a half, Iowa went scoreless, Brunner blocked a Killingsworth layup, Strickland missed a jumper and Vaden missed a 3-pointer.\nAll this on a night when one of Iowa's best free throw shooters, Horner, went four-of-nine at the free throw line, and the Hawkeyes matched a season-worst 15-for-26 at the charity stripe.\n"We led (from the) start to the four-minute mark at Northwestern, and we just didn't finish," Alford said. "That's all we talked about for the last two days, so maybe we talked too much about it."\nStrickland finished with 18 points and Killingsworth put up 21 points and a career-high 17 rebounds. But Killingsworth was lacking on the defensive end as Brunner led the Hawkeyes with 19 points.\n"Marco came up to me after the game and said 'Coach, I apologize because I really didn't guard anybody today,'" Marsh said.