Hawkeyes happy with a win

IOWA CITY - Call it an unlikely scare, ugly or wherever the apt description takes you. But for Iowa's players and coaches, they'll call it a win, and that's enough for now.

The Hawkeyes (6-11) overcame a 10-point first-half deficit and shook off a tenacious effort from Tennessee State to pull out a 67-62 win last night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The win ended Iowa's four-game losing streak and gave the team a whiff of relief and sorely needed confidence.

Iowa sophomore Aaron Fuller had career highs in points (24) and rebounds (10), tying the most points by an Iowa player in the last two seasons. Fuller hit 10 of 15 shots from the floor and played 33 minutes.

“Ultimately, it was the win,” Fuller said. “If we would have lost, the points wouldn't have meant nothing.”

It hardly was easy against the Tigers (4-14), which led Iowa by two points inside of four minutes and tied the game at 60-60 with 2:20 left. But Iowa took advantage of its late possessions, beginning with a 3-pointer from point guard Cully Payne after a solid pass from Fuller to give Iowa a 63-60 lead.

One possession later, Iowa spread the ball around the perimeter for most of the shot clock. Payne launched a 35-foot shot with 2 seconds left on the clock that wildly missed its target, but Aaron Fuller grabbed the rebound. Eventually Iowa sophomore Matt Gatens held the ball, was fouled and knocked down a pair of free throws to seal the game.

“I saw the shot clock at three or two,” Payne said. “Fuller had a great rebound, and Matt knocked down the shot.”

Fuller was just as proud of the offensive rebound and assist to Payne as he was for his scoring totals.

“We really needed this win bad,” Fuller said. “I just went up there and jumped and got it and just found the open man.”

Gatens played all 40 minutes and scored 12 points despite suffering a sprained left ankle in the first half. Payne added 11 points in Iowa's final non-Big Ten game this season.