So... that's a little bit more like it, yeah? A few days after a sluggish effort against a sweet-shooting and upset-minded Nebraska-Omaha team, Iowa took on another hyphenated hoopyball program (their third in a row, no less). The only similarities between that game and this one? They were playing basketball in both of them. And Aaron White had another monster game. One game after putting up a 20-15 stat line (which Iowa needed just about every bit of to sneak past UNO), White had a team-high 22 points here. Just three rebounds, though -- SLACKER L'ORANGE.
White (with a little help from Marble) also provided the highlight of the game:
(via PSD)
Yeah: it was that kind of night. The Hawkeyes were busting out Globetrotter-level shit IN THE FIRST HALF. The defensive effort from UMES (yes, you really are a mess, bros) only got worse from there, at least until Iowa brought in the Bench Mob and the Hawks' started trapping them. Which... sure why not.
White led Iowa in scoring, but six other Hawkeyes scored in double figures, too: Melsahn Basabe (12), Roy Devyn Marble (10), Zach McCabe (11), Jarrod Uthoff (11), Gabe Olaseni (10), and Peter Jok (10). Uthoff led Iowa in rebounds (11), while Mike Gesell led Iowa in assists (7) in just 17 minutes. But again: everyone played, everyone scored. I don't know when Iowa last had 14 players play (and score), but... it's kind of fun.
If you're looking for things to quibble about, you could point to the three-point shooting (they shot 7/17 overall, which is pretty good, but made only 3 of their last 12 3PA, which is less good) or free throw shooting (making 32 free throws is excellent, but you might like to see a little bit better than 74% shooting from the charity stripe) or the defense (which gave up 40 points to UMES in the second half), but those are just that: quibbles. Iowa had this game on ice well before halftime -- everything after that was even more exhibition-y than Iowa's game with Augustana a few weeks ago.
Random thoughts:
- Kyle Meyer's game fascinates me. In 8 minutes, he had 3 points, 7 rebounds (!), 2 assists, 2 fouls, and 2 turnovers. Talk about getting a lot of bang for your buck. He made his first shot of the game (a three-pointer!) and even spent time as bringing the ball up the court (NOTE: I hope we do not see this ever again). I really have no idea what to make of his game at this point.
- Iowa really should have a promotion for fans if the Hawkeyes score 100+ in a game. I suggested a free Panchero's burrito on Twitter, but the BTN PBP guy (who spent a good deal of time on Wiki researching UMES' athletic history, as well as their prowess at bowling) suggested free tenderloins, which seems like an even better suggestion (if we could get people to agree on what the best tenderloin is, anyway).... although you should only be eligible for free food for 100+ points if you stay until the final whistle.
- Kyle Denning continues to shoot .500 from 3-land. Maybe D3NNING is the answer to our 3-point shooting woes. (He is not.)
- Nice little bounce-back game from Mike Gesell after some tough outings in Iowa's first two games of the season. He made his first three shots (including a pair of three-pointers) and had those aforementioned 7 dimes.
- Seriously, Uthoff is such a stud. 11 points, 11 rebounds, 1 block in 18 minutes? Like White, he has that knack for being in the thick of the action -- knowing where the ball is going to be and knowing where he need to be to make a play. Love watching him play.