Iowa dusts Indiana in home finale

IOWA CITY - Iowa's men's basketball team put any negative energy surrounding the program on a shelf and placed Indiana right next to it tonight.

The Hawkeyes made virtually all the hustle plays and dominated the Hoosiers 73-57 in the team's home finale at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The win moved Iowa (10-19 overall, 4-12 Big Ten) into sole possession of ninth place in the Big Ten.

“Obviously, for all of us, it was a great win,” Iowa junior Jarryd Cole said.

The win staved off a school-record 20th loss and ensured Iowa would not have a losing home record this year. The Hawkeyes finished their home slate 9-9 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

From beginning to end, Iowa outplayed the Hoosiers (9-19, 3-13). Iowa rolled to a 17-4 lead mostly by feeding its post. Cole scored Iowa's first four points, and Aaron Fuller added a pair of three-point plays in the run.

“We thought if we could establish a hard-working effort toward the glass, they'd have to respect that, and we'd open up the outside shots for our guards, which is what it did,” Cole said. “I think we just have to be aggressive to be successful.”

Iowa also overwhelmed Indiana with hustle plays on both ends of the court. Fuller, who scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds, followed his own missed free throw with an offensive rebound. Sophomore post Andrew Brommer blocked Indiana's Devan Dumes near the end of the first half, which sent the ball flying out of bounds. Brommer also dove out of bounds to save a loose ball.

“Today was kind of special,” Iowa Coach Todd Lickliter said. “There were a couple of times when you thought you wouldn't come up with it, and a guy made one more effort at it.”

Brommer's performance was telling of Iowa's performance. He fouled out - among 55 fouls called in the game - after playing just 10 minutes. He didn't attempt a shot or a free throw. But he pulled down two rebounds, had two steals and dished one assist to go along with his block.

“We're like a lot of teams, we're not good enough to win without the hustle plays,” Lickliter said. “But there's nothing wrong with that. The hustle plays are important.”

Iowa sophomore Matt Gatens shook off another injury to his left ankle to score a career-high 25 points. Both teams struggled from the perimeter, combining for 4-of-25 from 3-point range, but Iowa was able to score 26 points in the paint and hit 26-of-38 free throws.