By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

It wasn’t so much about the quantity of Payton Sandfort’s 3-pointers in Iowa’s 86-77 win over Rutgers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday.

It was when they came.

Sandfort had five 3-pointers, one off his career high, on the way to a season-high 24 points. But four of those came in the second half, and all, it seemed, came when Iowa needed a big shot.

And that, Sandfort said, was what he wanted.

“We’ve had some trouble at the beginning of halves and in the middle of halves, so I kind of took it upon myself to try and make some plays,” Sandfort said.

The threes came every time Rutgers was threatening to close a gap that Iowa had maintained throughout the game.

— At 19:16 of the second half, when Rutgers had cut Iowa’s lead to 43-36.

— At 17:51, giving the Hawkeyes a 51-38 lead.

— At 14:17, when the Scarlet Knights had gotten within 55-47.

— At 7:56, when Rutgers was within 70-61.

Sandfort has had a history of big shots in his two-plus seasons with the Hawkeyes — he had seven points in the final 63 seconds of the second half in an overtime win over Michigan last season, and had a career-high six 3-pointers, including one with three seconds left in the second half, in an overtime win over Michigan State.

But he has played on teams with older players who have been counted on as leaders in his first two seasons and sometimes, Sandfort said, he deferred to them in key moments.

That can’t happen this season as a veteran player who is averaging more than five minutes per game than last season.

“I think there were times last year that I’d kind of watch those guys make the plays,” Sandfort said. “And sometimes this year so far, I’ve kind of fallen into that role of kind of just disappearing in some moments. So I have to keep up the energy that I have had in 20 minutes last year for the full 35 or 40, whatever it is, this year, which can be a hard thing. But it’s something that I’ve earned, something I want. And I’m proud of the way I handled it today.”

Sandfort is making 40 percent of his 3-point attempts this season, a career high. He has been prone to shooting slumps — he had a 2-for-15 three-game stretch in 3-point attempts earlier this season — but has shot 40 percent or better in the last 10 games, including his 5-for-8 day on Saturday.

“The basket felt like an ocean, so that’s a good feeling,” Sandfort said.

“Obviously the five threes today were huge for us,” forward Ben Krikke said. “It just brings a different level when he’s on.”

Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said it’s important for Sandfort to stay active, and to get help from his teammates.

“He was really moving without the ball,” McCaffery said. “They guard him pretty closely, so a couple of things have to happen — he’s got to move (without the ball), and we have to screen for him.”

“You’re not really thinking,” he said. “You’re just kind of playing and reading the defense and trying to get your shot off as best you can.”

Sandfort, second on the team in scoring at 14.2 points per game, understands he has a new role with the Hawkeyes. And he knows that with that role comes a bigger focus from opposing defenses.

“Personally, it’s just kind of keeping confidence,” he said. “It’s hard moving into a new role. You’re on top of the scouting report, so you have to find new ways to score. But I find if I get myself in rhythm and just go out there and play my game, quit thinking about it, I think that’s kind of where I can excel.”

Photo: Iowa’s Payton Sandfort reacts after a 3-pointer in a game against Northern Illinois earlier this season. (Keith Gillett/Icon SportsWire)