The comeback was necessary, but the Sioux Falls Skyforce were unable to sustain the late momentum in falling to the Iowa Wolves 121-116 on Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Arena.

Back-and-forth went the battle all night long as each team played hunter and hunted. Sioux Falls (25-23) led by a single point heading into the final quarter when the hosts made their move.

By the middle of the fourth, Iowa (22-25) launched a 19-4 attack that gained them a 14-point lead. The visitors were primed for the next five minutes by mirroring that challenge in a 19-4 burst capped by a layup by Alonzo Gee (14 points, 8 rebounds) to retake the lead 111-110 with 1:04 left. Iowa’s long-range answer from Elijah Millsap (20 points) gave the Wolves new life and perfection at the free throw line sealed the verdict.

A cluster of four from the ‘Force were high on the scoring chart as Ike Nwamu (22 points), Derrick Jones, Jr. (21 points, 17 rebounds), Bubu Palo (20 points, 9 assists) and Matt Williams, Jr. (19 points) led the way.

Amile Jefferson had a spectacular night for the Wolves, hitting 10-14 from the floor and 7-8 from the line to finish with 27 points and pull down 18 boards. Anthony Brown played his part in the victory by hitting five from long range on the way to 23 points.

The playoff flames are still flickering for Sioux Falls with a Friday night contest at Northern Arizona up next. Meanwhile Iowa will play the final 17 seconds of a protested game Friday in Santa Cruz, then play the full 48 minutes in a regularly scheduled contest.

To quickly explain, back on January 19, the officials made an error that incorrectly resulted in a technical foul that gave Iowa an unfair advantage that resulted in a win at the time. Santa Cruz won a subsequent protest to replay the game from that point to conclusion.


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