Joe Toussaint's big shot lifts Iowa basketball past Virginia in Big Ten/ACC thriller

The nation’s No. 1 scoring offense clashed Monday night against the nation’s No. 4 scoring defense in Charlottesville, Virginia.

As they say, something had to give. 

The high-octane Iowa Hawkeyes set the aggressive pace in this one, rolling out to a first-half lead of 21 points before Virginia rallied all the way back to take the lead in the final minute. But a bank shot by point guard Joe Toussaint with 8.4 seconds left dropped home, lifting the Hawkeyes to a thrilling 75-74 win in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge at John Paul Jones Arena.

Virginia shot 63% in the second half, including a 7-for-9 showing from 3-point range, to storm back. But a leaner by Kihei Clark misfired, and Kadin Shedrick's putback as time expired was blocked by Patrick McCaffery.

The Hawkeyes had cleaned up against six weaker non-conference foes at home, but playing the program that won the 2019 NCAA title would be a challenge — even if the Cavaliers had been up-and-down during a 5-2 start.

More:Iowa men's basketball is 6-0. Can the Hawkeyes sustain success against tougher opponents?

Sixth-year senior Jordan Bohannon helped unbeaten Iowa (7-0) pass its first road test of the season. He drained six 3-pointers and finished with 20 points. 

Iowa star forward Keegan Murray exited the game with 8 minutes, 27 remaining after his twin brother, Kris, stepped on his right ankle. The nation’s leading scorer shuffled to the locker room but returned to the floor for the stretch run and finished with 18 points and nine rebounds.

Iowa entered the game averaging 97.2 points; Virginia entered allowing an average of 53.6 points. The Cavaliers (5-3) hadn't allowed more than 68 to any team this season.

Iowa opens Big Ten play Friday at No. 2 Purdue. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT at Mackey Arena.