Forward’s return made big difference for Iowa vs. Purdue

Aaron Fuller's Iowa career has fluctuated from very good at times to near invisibility.

Last year, Fuller played 36 of 40 minutes at Penn State and scored 16 points. Then in a double-overtime win against Penn State, he played only 10 minutes and didn't score. Those games reflected the typical up-and-down performance of a 6-foot-6 freshman power forward.

Fuller bulked up by 10-plus pounds this season and was penciled in as a starter. But an ankle injury sidelined him for nearly six weeks and he played only sporadically in 10 games.

“It was a long process of trying to get back and just trying to keep getting healthy to help this team,” Fuller said.

Fuller returned to the starting lineup Tuesday against Purdue. His larger frame proved helpful as he pulled down a career-best eight rebounds and scored 15 points, one off his career high. He was active in the post at both ends and matched Purdue's physical play with a still gimpy left ankle.

“It's doing a lot better,” said Fuller, who averages 4.5 points. “I don't really have my full jumping ability quite back yet. Again, it's still icing it and getting back to 100 percent. For the most part it's good.”

Fuller, of Mesa, Ariz., and Matt Gatens had to help offensively against Purdue's relentless defense. Fuller and Gatens often had to keep defenders off Iowa's point guards by setting screens before getting in the offensive flow.

“They really got up (on) you for the full court,” Fuller said. “You couldn't just run down and leave the point guard hanging. You had to come back and set multiple on-balls and then run your play. They made us work on the offensive end.”

Fuller showed his full array offensively, hitting a 3-pointer early on to give Iowa a 10-2 lead. He scored six straight points in the first half and twice ended Purdue runs with baskets.

On two of those possessions he scored after rebounding a teammate's miss.

“He's somebody we definitely missed when he was hurt,” Gatens said. “He was definitely getting healthy and the break was good for him to get his ankle back to 100 percent.

“He's an active big guy that does a lot for us.”