DES MOINES – In what was a homecoming for Ben McCollum and several members of the Iowa men’s basketball team resulted with an all-time defensive performance at Casey’s Center in Iowa’s capitol city.

The Hawkeyes’ 94-39 rout over Bucknell saw Alvaro Folgueiras secure a season-high 17 points, and so did Kael Combs with 13 points. Tavion Banks had a near double-double of 16 points and nine rebounds. And the cherry on top – 19 steals as a team, tied for fifth for a single game in program history.

“I really thank the people for coming here,” Folguieras said. “I didn’t know the Hawkeyes were everywhere. It’s been really cool to feel it that way, and it was special when the game didn’t start in our way.”

First half

It was evident that Bucknell had a chip on its shoulder as the entire team roared for every play made en route to a shocking 10-2 lead three-and-a-half minutes into the game. After an Iowa timeout called by a displeased Ben McCollum, the Hawkeyes turned it around swiftly with a 15-0 run led by Folgueiras’ eight points – warranting the Bison to call a timeout of their own.

Iowa head coach Ben McCollum talks to the bench during a basketball game between the No. 25 Iowa Hawkeyes and the Bucknell Bisons at the Casey’s Center in Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. The Hawkeyes defeated the Bisons 94-39. (Samantha DeFily)

That run was extended to a 26-3 Iowa stretch in which Folguieras pushed his point total to 13 and the Hawkeyes pushed its lead to 28-13. Isaia Howard snagged three of the Hawkeyes’ seven steals.

“[They] hit us in the mouth to start, kind of woke us up, probably like Grand Canyon did, and then we’re able to get going after that,” McCollum said.

And while the Bison kept relatively even through the rest of the first half, Iowa still piled on with forced turnovers, outmatched athleticism, and fast break dunks on the way to 11 first half steals and a 57 percent field goal percentage.

Folguieras and Banks were the only Hawkeyes to reach double digits in scoring with 15 and 10 points, respectively, en route to a 43-21 halftime advantage.

Second half

Only five minutes of second half play was needed before Iowa’s lead grew to 30 on the heels of a 13-2 run. Cam Manyawu’s hookshot inside was the first Hawkeye bucket, followed by a step-back jumper by Bennett Stirtz and six consecutive points by Banks – two off a putback layup, four at the line.

From there, everyone else chimed in as the lead grew rapidly. Tate Sage and Isaia Howard touched the sky with a dunk apiece. Folguieras secured a putback layup. Combs knocked in a three. And hometown product Trevin Jirak got the honor of securing Iowa’s 67th point, prompting screeching children to flip their hands relentlessly throughout the stands.

“I think that’s the biggest thing, keeping our energy up on both sides of the floor, but mostly defensively,” Howard said. “Ball pressure, hand activity.”

Jirak’s bucket took place at the 10:23 mark with a 35-point Iowa lead. What followed was a 19-2 Hawkeye run – Combs and Brendan Hausen combining for 15 of those points – en route to a 50-point lead. And with that, a 94-39 lead when it was all said-and-done, and it was driven by the swarming Hawkeye defense.

“I thought our hand activity was fantastic,” McCollum said. “That was the key to the game, was making sure that we got deflections…. They run a lot of plays, and they run really good plays, and so we knew that we had to disrupt those.”

Up next

Iowa gets a nine-day break before its next game against UMass Lowell on Dec. 29 – its last game of the 2025 calendar year. The River Hawks are 5-8 with wins in four of its last six games, with its record set to change as it plays Boston University on Dec. 21.