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Indiana escapes Iowa with a win for the first time in five years

A little more than two weeks after losing for the only time this season fifth-ranked Indiana looked very beatable again today, but Iowa couldn't conjure up the same recipe Butler used to beat the Hoosiers.

Butler made 11 3-pointers and is the only team to outrebound Indiana this year. Iowa shot poorly making just three of 17 attempts from behind the arc, missed key free throws down the stretch and was outmanned on the boards in a 69-65 game it easily could have won at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

This was a missed opportunity for a signature win for the Hawkeyes to start Big Ten play. Give the Hoosiers credit for making winning plays down the stretch, especially Victor Oladipo, and finding a way to earn a tough road win, but they have to be breathing a sigh of relief on the way home to Bloomington.

Indiana had lost its four previous trips to Iowa City. So it's a positive first step into conference play for a team with high expectations.

Roy Devyn Marble might want this one back more than any Hawkeye. He entered the game making 45 percent of field goal attempts and 39 percent of 3-pointers this season but made just one of 14 shots. He still managed to get to the foul line where he made 12 of 13 and finished with 14 points, but a bigger day was there for the taking.

Marble had company in the cold-shooting department. Indiana senior guard Jordan Hulls endured a horrid day of shooting, missing all 10 of his field goal attempts, but he also dished six assists, didn't turn the ball over and had teammates like Oladipo and Cody Zeller who combined for 33 points.

The game featured an interesting matchup of freshmen point guards we'll be watching for the next few years. Iowa's Anthony Clemmons scored six points with six assists but committed four turnovers. Indiana's Togi Ferrell scored nine points with seven rebounds and four assists.

Follow Kyle on Twitter @KyleRingo