Brock Harding scored 15 points that included a clutch 3-pointer to help 15th-seeded Iowa pull away from No. 10 seed Ohio State for a 77-70 victory on Wednesday night in a Big Ten Tournament opener.
Bruce Thornton converted a three-point play and then added a pullup jumper following a Harding turnover to cut the Ohio State deficit to 72-70 with 45 seconds left. Harding answered with a 3-pointer, Thornton missed a 3 on the other end and Payton Sandfort added two free throws to seal it for the Hawkeyes.
Iowa (17-15) will move on to face fifth-seeded Wisconsin (23-8) in the second round on Thursday.
Payton Sandfort finished with 17 points for the Hawkeyes, who shot 55% (29 of 53). Josh Dix added 16 points and Pryce Sandfort had 10. Harding shot 5 of 6 from the floor and made three 3-pointers.
Thornton scored 24 points and had nine assists to lead Ohio State (17-15). Devin Royal chipped in with 17 points and Micah Parrish had 16.
