Iowa's youth rose to occasion against No. 25 Iowa State

IOWA CITY — Maybe — just maybe — this was the game everyone will look back on and say, 'That was the moment.'

The moment Iowa's corps of freshmen put the Hawkeyes on their back in crucial moments and delivered. The moment Cordell Pemsl, Jordan Bohannon and Isaiah Moss can look at and say, 'It came together there.'

There are thousands of minutes of basketball ahead for that trio — and Tyler Cook, too, when he returns — so the 'maybe' here is heavily emphasized. But against one of the best teams they've played to date, the Hawkeyes played their best basketball, and in addition to the ever-reliable and productive Peter Jok, it was three first-year Iowa players who powered their team to a 78-64 win against No. 25 Iowa State at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

'I think so, (that it was the moment),' Pemsl said. 'We started three freshmen against their five seniors. We each wanted to go out and play the game we knew we can, and we did.

'It obviously shows people have to respect us. We may be young, but we don't want to use that as an excuse. We want to go out every night and do what we can. Tonight Isaiah, Jordan and all the freshmen showed what (we) can do.'

Jok led Iowa with 23 points, nine rebounds and three assists, and make no mistake, his impact was invaluable for Iowa — as it has and will have to be if more wins like Thursday's are to come.

The freshmen, though, were forced into a position to make a play or allow the Cyclones (6-3) to come back. The Hawkeyes (5-5) led by 14 at halftime, but a slow start shooting to the second half allowed Iowa State to work back within seven. It was from there that Moss stepped up with a pair of and-1s. Pemsl finished at the rim and protected it at the other end. And Bohannon hit what Coach Fran McCaffery called the shot of the game, a 25-foot 3-pointer from the top of the key.

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Moss led the way scoring for the trio, finishing the game with 14 points and four rebounds. Pemsl had 11 points and five rebounds. Bohannon filled the stat sheet, collecting eight points, five rebounds and four assists — playing against perhaps the best point guard in the country in Monte Morris.

Their impact was a point of pride for McCaffery, to be certain, but it also was an expectation. McCaffery doesn't finish sentences — whether it be praise or criticism — with 'for a young guy.' The veteran coach expects his players to perform because that's why he brought them to Iowa.

What matters most, he said, is they have that same mindset. That's what allowed a game like Thursday to happen, in McCaffery's view.

'I think what I would say to you is I have an expectation that they would do that. But unless they have an expectation for themselves, it's not going to happen,' McCaffery said. 'So that's what gives you a great feeling as a coach, because Cordell kind of came in, 'I know I'm going to play well;' Isaiah, 'I'm going to play well;' Jordan, 'I'm going to play well.'

'And what they were able to do — each one of them made mistakes. And it's the ability to get to the next play and really compete that makes the difference with those three guys, because a lot of freshmen, when they make mistakes, it just keeps going south, and those guys, it doesn't happen.'

That last part was crucial Thursday night.

Bohannon had three turnovers — two under pressure from Morris — and one came while he was dribbling for an open layup that would've extended the lead and given the Hawkeyes more breathing room.

Shutting that out is something Bohannon said he learned by watching his brothers Jason, Zach and Matt play at the highest level, and listening when they emphasized its importance.

Bohannon taking a 35-foot 3-pointer near the end of the shot clock — that nearly went in — served as the embodiment of what he, Pemsl and Moss did in not letting one bad play turn into two. He wasn't afraid to pull the trigger, he said, because you can't be and hope to succeed.

'It's about not taking any possession for granted. We did that tonight,' Bohannon said. '(My short memory) comes from my brothers. I've had rough games, they've had rough games, but they all bounced back and realized the big picture.

'I didn't really think about my shot too much. I've been doing it my entire life — there's no reason to think about a shot when you've been shooting 500 shots a day.'

Collectively, Iowa beat Iowa State thanks to a few things: Jok's offense, the aforementioned freshmen and a defensive effort the Hawkeyes have not seen for 40 straight minutes all season.

Specifically the first half was a boon for Iowa. The Hawkeyes held the Cyclones to 0.784 points per possession in the opening frame, and that allowed a few lapses on the defensive end in the second half. Iowa mixed man-to-man, zone and a half-court trap to force Iowa State into a halting rhythm offensively — something they couldn't fully shake in the second half, either.

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Yes, the Hawkeyes were helped out by 12 missed layups from the Cyclones. But like the freshmen having that 'coming of age'-type performance, the entire team seeing it click on both ends for a full game could be all they needed.

Time will tell. But until they get to Wells Fargo Arena to play Northern Iowa on Dec. 17, that's the belief.

'I think it will have a lot of impact, because we played a really tough schedule so far, and we lost to some really good teams. Tonight, we played a good team and won,' McCaffery said. 'I think they see that our staff is going to work tirelessly to help them get better and make them understand how you have to believe in yourself and how you have to compete. It was a great performance in so many different ways, but it was not perfect, and I think that's the important thing to know and understand.'

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