Gatens' grit keeps Iowa close in loss at Iowa State

AMES - Matt Gatens nearly collapsed and barely walked as he left the court at Hilton Coliseum.

Iowa (3-7) dropped a school-record 13th straight road game in an 81-71 loss to cross-state rival Iowa State (7-3) last night. Gatens, an Iowa sophomore, gritted through his opponents' highlight-reel dunks and 3-pointers to score 20 points and play every minute. He nearly knocked out an official going for a loose ball, and his body was covered in scrapes, bumps and bruises.

“I dove for that ball, and I hit my hip a little awkward on the floor,” Gatens said. “It was just kind of ... it hits you in the end. The buzzer sounds. Forty minutes takes its toll.

“While the game's going on, you're just so in the game you're not getting tired. Your adrenaline is pumping. When that final buzzer hits, everything hits you.”

As a team leader, Gatens always says the right thing, and he channels his frustration into the desire he pours on the court. Last night he hit four 3-pointers, grabbed two rebounds and dished three assists. But it never was enough. The Cyclones zoomed over and past the Hawkeyes. Junior All-American candidate Craig Brackins hit 9 of 13 shots for 28 points. Iowa had no answers for him defensively.

Iowa State buzzed Iowa for six 3-pointers and multiple alley oop dunks that sent the crowd into a frenzy. It aggravated Gatens and his teammates, who fought back from an 18-point second-half deficit to cut Iowa State's lead to its final margin. But the game never was in doubt, once Iowa State bounced a 22-20 lead into 34-23 with a 12-3 first-half run.

“It lights a fire under you,” Gatens said. “You're frustrated, but at the same time you've got to stay poised.

“It's tough taking a lost like that. A rival like Iowa State, a team I grew up cheering against, probably the first time getting to play in here. Great environment to play in, but it's frustrating to come out on the bottom end.”

It doesn't help for Gatens or his teammates that this week the spotlight shone upon them. Iowa played two of its in-state rivals and both beat Iowa by double digits. Iowa now has its worst start after 10 games since the 1939-1940 season.

Brackins, a 6-foot-10 forward, was too quick for Iowa junior center Jarryd Cole, whom he beat inside on Iowa State's first scoring play for a thunderous dunk on an alley-oop pass from Diante Garrett. Two possessions later, Brackins stepped out and hit a 3-pointer.

Cole said once Brackins got rolling “the basket seems like an ocean.”

“We couldn't stop him,” Cole said. “He kept scoring. We know he's their highlight player. We know he's going to go to them. We tried our best to stop him.”

Iowa fought back late when the game was out of reach. The Cyclones led by 19 with 4:34 left, but Iowa scored on eight of its final nine possessions. Freshman point guard Cully Payne scored on four consecutive possessions, including hitting three straight 3-pointers before foulding out.

But it wasn't enough. Another loss, more questions, more room for doubt. It's time for soul searching, Gatens said. It starts now.

“It's tough because you look at your record and it's not what you want it to be,” Gatens said. “But you've got to know you're doing good things. Coaches are preaching the right things; you've just got to listen to them more and be more consistent. That's the bottom line.”