By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Patrick McCaffery had been out of the game for almost 6 ½ minutes when his father put him back on the court.

Twenty-three seconds remained in Iowa’s game against Ohio State on Friday, and with the Hawkeyes up by one and with the ball, someone was going to get fouled and sent to the free-throw line.

McCaffery was hoping it would be him, and he figured he would make the shots.

“Yeah,” he said, laughing. “I wanted some more points.”

He got them, making four free throws in those closing seconds in the Hawkeyes’ 79-77 win at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

McCaffery is an 80.4-percent free-throw shooter this season, so Iowa coach Fran McCaffery knew he was a good choice to be on the court.

“I felt pretty confident,” Fran said.

Then he added his own punch line.

“I’m glad he knew,” Fran said.

It has been a difficult senior season for Patrick, who has missed three of the Hawkeyes’ games, and had his minutes limited in others, because of either illness or a severe ankle injury in Iowa’s 94-76 win over Nebraska on January 12.

He was a starter for 15 games, but has been coming off the bench since suffering the injury. He struggled in Tuesday’s 74-68 loss at Indiana, when he went scoreless and had just three rebounds in 18 minutes.

It’s why Fran McCaffery suggested that maybe Patrick take Friday’s game off, since the Hawkeyes don’t play again until next Thursday at Penn State.

“He came back and he tried to help us in a couple of games,” Fran said. “I don’t think he was 100 percent. He tried to give us some quality minutes. I asked him if he wanted to take one more game off and he really could grind with his rehab, because if (he) did that, we don’t play until Thursday. He said, ‘No, I’m ready. I didn’t play well in the Indiana game, but I felt OK.’”

Patrick finished with 10 points in 15 minutes, his first double-digit scoring game since he had 12 points in the Nebraska game before he was injured.

Patrick has played just 62 minutes over the last four games as he has continued his recovery from the injury.

“The other thing is when you’re out, you lose some of your conditioning as well,” Fran said. “So sometimes it’s more that than it is the injury itself. So he’s really been working on his conditioning and his rehab. And he was terrific (in Friday’s game).”

“Obviously the year hasn’t been ideal for me,” Patrick said. “I felt like I really kind of got my feet under me in the Nebraska game, and then I mess my ankle up pretty bad. I’m still dealing with a lot of that stuff. Not probably not 100 percent healthy. I’m trending in that direction.”

Iowa’s current starting lineup, with Josh Dix replacing Patrick, probably will stay that way for a while.

“I thought he was really turning the corner at the Nebraska game,” Fran said. “Then he gets hurt. So you’re dealing with a couple different things. And then OK, do I put it back in the starting lineup or do I bring him off the bench? I felt better to bring him off the bench like we are, and bring experience and veteran leadership, intelligence, and then some pop that will get you some points. 

“To see him make big free throws and to see him happy, it’s a great feeling.”

“I think you just take it day by day,” Patrick said. “At the end of the day you’ve got to be honest with yourself and be real with yourself. I’m not playing great, take me out. it’s kind of it’s kind of the way it is. And if I’m playing well, keep me in. I have to have a lot of self-realization and understand that I’m still working back from injuries. 

I’m definitely pretty hard on myself, but I think we all are. I try to hold myself to a higher standard. And, you know, like you said earlier, the year hasn’t gone an ideal way for me, but I don’t care as long as we keep winning games.”

Photo: Iowa’s Patrick McCaffery (right) has dealt with illness and injury this season, but hit four crucial free throws in Friday’s win over Ohio State. (Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire)