East Texas A&M Lions @ Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa beats Texas A&M-Commerce 89-67 behind Payton Sandfort's 20 points, 11 rebounds
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- — Payton Sandfort scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to go with seven assists to help Iowa beat Texas A&M-Commerce 89-67 on Monday night in a season opener.
Owen Freeman added 15 points and nine rebounds for Iowa. Pryce Sandfort had 13 points, and Josh Dix and Drew Thelwell scored 10 apiece.
Payton Sandfort shot 7 of 14 from the floor and 4 of 9 from long range. The senior averaged 16.4 points and hit 94 3-pointers last season, third-most in program history.
Khaliq Abdul-Mateen scored 12 points and Scooter Williams Jr. added 11 to lead Texas A&M-Commerce.
The Hawkeyes took the lead for good midway through the first half and led 42-35 at the break. The Sandforts combined for 15 first-half points and three 3-pointers.
The Lions pulled within five points early in the second half before Iowa used a 33-9 run for an 84-55 lead with 3:42 remaining. During the stretch, Pryce Sandfort made two 3s and Freeman scored on an alley-oop dunk.
It was the first meeting between the teams. The Hawkeyes are 10-1 against the Southland Conference and have won 90 of their last 96 nonconference home games dating to 2012.
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Game Information
Iowa City, IA

Referee:Tim Comer
Referee:Bill Jacobson
Referee:Tariq Lucas

2025-26 Standings
| Southland ConferenceSouthland Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen F. Austin | 20-2 | - | 28-6 |
| McNeese | 19-3 | 1 | 28-6 |
| UT Rio Grande Valley | 14-8 | 6 | 19-14 |
| Texas A&M-Corpus Christi | 13-9 | 7 | 18-15 |
| New Orleans | 12-10 | 8 | 15-18 |
| Nicholls | 12-10 | 8 | 14-19 |
| Houston Christian | 8-14 | 12 | 12-20 |
| Northwestern State | 8-14 | 12 | 10-22 |
| Incarnate Word | 7-15 | 13 | 12-19 |
| Lamar | 7-15 | 13 | 12-19 |
| East Texas A&M | 6-16 | 14 | 11-21 |
| SE Louisiana | 6-16 | 14 | 9-22 |
| Big Ten ConferenceBig Ten Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 19-1 | - | 37-3 |
| Nebraska | 15-5 | 4 | 28-7 |
| Michigan State | 15-5 | 4 | 27-8 |
| Illinois | 15-5 | 4 | 28-9 |
| Wisconsin | 14-6 | 5 | 24-11 |
| Purdue | 13-7 | 6 | 30-9 |
| UCLA | 13-7 | 6 | 24-12 |
| Ohio State | 12-8 | 7 | 21-13 |
| Iowa | 10-10 | 9 | 24-13 |
| Indiana | 9-11 | 10 | 18-14 |
| Minnesota | 8-12 | 11 | 15-18 |
| USC | 7-13 | 12 | 18-14 |
| Washington | 7-13 | 12 | 16-17 |
| Rutgers | 6-14 | 13 | 14-20 |
| Northwestern | 5-15 | 14 | 15-19 |
| Oregon | 5-15 | 14 | 12-20 |
| Maryland | 4-16 | 15 | 12-21 |
| Penn State | 3-17 | 16 | 12-20 |
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