Jordan Bohannon's school record 10 3-pointers lead Iowa basketball to win over Maryland

In a game that Iowa men's basketball needed to win to return to .500 in Big Ten play, their eldest leader and best player combined for a signature performance.

Sixth-year senior Jordan Bohannon made eight 3-pointers in his first game at Maryland in 2017. In his finale in 2022, he outdid himself with a school-record 10 3s to finish with 30 points. That also set an Xfinity Center record. Sophomore Keegan Murray, a projected NBA draft lottery pick, scored 30 points to lift Iowa to a dominant 110-87 win over Maryland on Thursday night. Overall, Iowa connected on 18 3s on 55% shooting. 

Bohannon's 10 3s broke a 28-year old record set by Chris Kingsbury in 1994. His son Carter Kingsbury is a freshman walk-on on Iowa's team this year. 

"I told Carter I respect the heck out of your dad and everything he's done," Bohannon said. "I've been trying to break his record for four, five, six years now and we both had a good laugh about that. It's kind of crazy breaking a guy like that's record because he's a guy I looked up to and watched his highlights.

"He's one of the greatest shooters to come through Iowa and that's something I had on my little goal sheet that I wanted to do some day."

Iowa also became the first team in Big Ten history to have one player make 10 3-pointers (Bohannon) and another player score 30 points (Murray) in a single game. With the win, Iowa improves to 16-7 overall and 6-6 in the Big Ten while Maryland falls to 11-13 overall and 3-10 in Big Ten play. 

"When you have a guy that makes 10 3s, it changes everything," Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said. "For many years we said if a team makes 10 3s they're going to win. One guy does that, obviously a gamechanger." 

Slow starts on offense have plagued Iowa during this recent five-game stretch. But on Thursday, the Hawkeyes came out aggressively and it paid huge dividends. Iowa made its first four shots from the field with three different players: Bohannon, Patrick McCaffery and Keegan Murray. But Bohannon and Murray's excellence on offense was only just beginning. 

More:Leistikow: Fran McCaffery banking on Jordan Bohannon as Hawkeyes search for best backcourt

Bohannon led the way offensively with six 3-pointers in the first half, accounting for all 18 of his opening points. Keegan Murray, one of the nation's top scores, chipped in 16 points of his own on 7-for-9 shooting. The duo led Iowa to a 60% shooting mark in the first half and 57 first-half points, one of its best opening periods of the season. 

Bohannon's struggles on offense this season have been a central topic of Iowa's season to date. Bohannon had made only nine of his past 34 3-point attempts in his past five games. Those struggles prompted a move back to point guard where he's started over the previous five seasons. His performance in College Park, a place that he's played very well in previous seasons, gave Iowa fans a glimpse to what they've grown accustomed to during his career. And with his 30-point output, he added another milestone to his resume: third-highest scorer in Iowa history, passing Aaron White. 

"I was due for it, in simple words," Bohannon said postgame. "I've worked really hard these last two, three weeks to get out of whatever I was in these last four, five games. It feels good to have some sort of relief after the struggles I've been through the past couple of games." 

And his shooting performance opened the floor for everyone else. 

"You saw Jordan getting hot and everyone got more confident from that," Keegan Murray said. "You see a lot of guys pushing in transition, sharing the ball and we're just making easy plays and easy baskets." 

More:Iowa basketball sets Luka Garza ceremony; Roy Marble's No. 23 jersey will also be retired

On a normal night, Murray's 30-point performance would take center stage. The star sophomore proved once again why he's among the nation's best. He also grabbed seven rebounds and stayed out of foul trouble to play 30 minutes.  

Plenty of Hawkeyes made contributions throughout the game. Freshman Payton Sandfort connected on three 3-pointers in the game. Filip Rebraca was much more active on both sides of the court, finishing with six points and seven rebounds, and Joe Toussaint's defensive effort won't show up on the stat sheet but was critical to Iowa's first half performance. 

More:Leistikow: Super sophomores Caitlin Clark, Keegan Murray bring positive buzz for Iowa basketball

The Hawkeyes didn't take their foot off the gas in the second half, opening the period on a 17-4 run that extended their lead to 29 points with 13 minutes to play. Their team defensive effort carried over from their win against Minnesota as they limited Maryland to under 30% shooting from the field for the majority of second half. And Iowa won the rebounding battle with a plus-9 margin.

Iowa's blowout win places it back at .500 in Big Ten play with an opportunity to get to a winning record with a win over Nebraska on Sunday. Much tougher opponents loom near the end of the month and in March, but over the past two games, it's hard to deny that this Iowa team is gaining confidence at the right time. 

Kennington Lloyd Smith III covers Iowa Hawkeyes football and men's basketball for the Des Moines Register. You can connect with Kennington on Twitter @SkinnyKenny_ or email him at ksmith@gannett.com.