Jok asks for minutes, delivers

IOWA CITY - Peter Jok just needed more time to find his rhythm.

The sophomore guard asked Fran McCaffery for more minutes to get a better feel for his shot. It worked. Jok delivered the game he and his coach have been looking for.

Jok matched his career high with 15 points on 4 of 6 3-point shooting as Iowa breezed to a 77-47 win over Maryland-Baltimore County on Saturday afternoon at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The hot shooting followed a stretch where Jok missed nine straight 3-pointers over a six-game span.

'As long as I know it feels good, it's going to go in sooner or later,” Jok said. 'I just have to keep shooting. I don't really worry about missing shots at all.”

Gabe Olaseni tied his career high with 15 points and added seven rebounds as the Hawkeyes (7-2) forced a season-best 26 turnovers for their fifth straight win.

Jok was Iowa's first substitute off the bench less than four minutes into the game and he made a quick impact.

Jok's quick steal led to his first 3-pointer since Nov. 17 against North Dakota State. Then Jok came up with another steal, made the layup and converted the three-point play after a foul.

Jok added a 3-pointer two minutes later and hit two more 3s in the second half.

'He's been real close,” McCaffery said. 'It's great to see him get going.”

Before Saturday, Jok scored 10 total points in Iowa's last six game, shooting 4 of 20 from the floor and 0 of 9 from 3-point range.

Jok asked McCaffery after practice Friday to play more minutes against UMBC to work on his pace. Film sessions revealed that he needed to slow down his shot.

'I noticed I was rushing a lot on the court,” said Jok, who led the Hawkeyes with 24 minutes on Saturday. 'I didn't look comfortable.”

Aaron White added 14 points on 5 of 7 shooting. Jarrod Uthoff had 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Iowa scored 20 straight points early in the first half to pull away in its 30th consecutive nonconference home win.

The Hawkeyes held UMBC (0-8) scoreless for an 8 1/2-minute stretch, forcing nine turnovers and six straight missed shots during their big run.

Iowa followed that up with a 20-2 near the end of the first half to take a 48-20 lead into halftime. UMBC never got closer than 25 in the second half.

McCaffery challenged his team during a tough Friday practice to play with energy and avoid a letdown following Wednesday's win at No. 12 North Carolina.

'That definitely shows the character we have on this team,” said Mike Gesell, who had five points and seven assists. 'We came ready to play and really stepped up defensively.”

Olaseni said after the game he plans to return to London for his father's memorial services after Iowa plays Iowa State on Dec. 12.