MOLINE -- Iowa took its first high-major victory of the season on Friday night with a 67-6 win over Washington State. Behind the effort of Moline native Owen Freeman playing in his hometown, the Hawkeyes handled the Cougars in an electric atmosphere, with clutch plays from several players.

Here are three takeaways from the win.

For the first time since graduating from Moline High School in 2023, Freeman played in front of fans who saw he and teammate Brock Harding led the Maroons to a state title their senior year.

"I mean, you kind of saw the energy that I had, maybe a little bit too much in the first half," Freeman joked about a first half technical foul he received. "But no, the Quad Cities showed out, and it was just an incredible experience."

Tthe big man looked like a man possessed at different points in the evening. The reigning Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Year posted 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting and grabbed 11 boards to finish with a double-double.

"When he got his T, I got a sense of [his energy]," McCaffery laughed postgame. "But he came back and controlled his emotions in the second half and dominated, so there's no question that he was going to play."

"If we can get that in every night, we're gonna be in good shape," Drew Thelwell added.

Part way through the second half, Freeman's energy shined through on an alley-oop from senior forward, Payton Sandfort, who finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds and one very important assist.

"I told him right before that, I called the set where it's kind of me and O on the side together, and I told him, 'I'm gonna hit you, I'm reading this, I'm coming off there flying at me. I'm gonna hit you.' Honestly, I didn't think it was a good pass, he just made a play on it," Sandfort said.

"Yeah, he called the play, and he threw it up, so I had to go get it," Freeman added. "So that's about it. We kind of looked at each other after, and we both were pretty happy, so it was a lot of fun."

Moline was electric. With 8,488 people in attendance that were 95% Iowa fans, Vibrant Arena lived up to its name.

"I mean, playing in Warden Fieldhouse, I kind of expected it to be kind of crazy," Freeman grinned. "But I mean, the Quad Cities showed out. That was unreal. Just one of the best crowds I played in front of. ... I'm gonna remember it forever."

Thelwell felt it, too.

"It was something crazy," he smiled. "I've never had a gym this packed on our side. It felt great, and it felt great to be there. I mean, I felt like a home, and it's not my home, so shout out to Brock and Owen, cuz they brought it tonight."

Compared to the crowds in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, it sure seems as though the Hawkeyes might benefit from playing more neutral site environments across the state of Iowa. The players and their head coach noticed.

"A huge shout out to the crowd," Sandfort said. "I think that was absolutely huge in that [win]. ... That was some of the loudest [cheers] I've heard in my college career. That was special."

Sandfort was reminded Iowa's game in Sioux Falls, South Dakota from 2021, where the Hawkeyes took a 94-75 victory over Utah State.

"The crowd absolutely played a huge factor in getting us that win," he said. "I'm not opposed to driving up here every game for home games."

McCaffery said he and athletic director Beth Goetz have talked about continuing to play on neutral courts across the state, and expanding to places like Sioux Falls again. The Hawkeyes will take on Utah at the Sandford Pentagon in Sioux Falls on December 21.

"We obviously love playing in Carver, but we have an incredible fan base over here," he said. "We've got an incredible fan base in Des Moines. Payton referenced the Sioux Falls game a couple of years ago. We've gone up there twice. We've got a ton of fans up north that just respond to our team in a way that's just incredible."

Following the game, players were showered with requests for autographs and high fives.

"The same thing happens up in Sioux Falls," McCaffery added. "And I think we'll have a similar experience over in Kansas City with our fans over in that part of the state. So that's something we can talk about. I mean, I think from a business perspective, we've got people that will make those decisions. But I think overall, if you were at this game, you'd be in favor of that."

In their first year with the program, Thelwell and Seydou Traore continue to make an impact night after night. The pair were pivotal in Iowa's ability to hold off the Cougars in the final minutes, each playing integral roles in the Hawkeyes' full-court press and perimeter defense.

Thelwell also hit back-to-back threes late in the game to give Iowa the lead. Prior to those triples, he had only scored one point from the free throw line.

"He's the all time winningest player in that program's history, Morehead State," McCaffery said. "I mean, they've had some really good players, and they won 27 games last year. I've coached at that level. I know how hard it is to win 27 games. You need a guy like him that can engineer a victory. He can do that."

Thelwell, who finished with three steals, agreed with McCaffery's assessment.

"[Winning so many games] definitely helped," he said. "Keeping your nerves in composure definitely helps with these types of situations, but we definitely relied on some experience today."

While Thelwell defends the guards, the 6'7" Traore helps out on a variety of positions.

"Having Seydou on the top of the press is a luxury that we have," Thelwell said. "He's super athletic. I mean, I don't know how many other guys I've seen jump that high and move that fast, so having him on the top of the press helps."

"Seydou was great, he did what he does," Sandfort added. "He got used to the speed early in that game, and then by the end, he's making play after play, protecting the rim, just doing a lot of really good things. So I'm proud of those guys, and they definitely contributed to the win."

UP NEXT: Iowa (4-0) will face Rider (3-1) in Carver Hawkeye-Arena at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 19. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network Plus.