Iowa gets much-needed streak-breaking win against Stetson

IOWA CITY — Iowa just needed to stop the bleeding, if you will.

After four straight losses, the Hawkeyes just needed a win. They got it in a big way against Stetson, 95-68, and were able to get big games from guys other than Peter Jok en route.

Yes, the manner in which a team wins matters, but Iowa got a chance against an opponent ranked 313th in adjusted defense and 244th in adjusted offense to get a good look at themselves before No. 25 Iowa State comes to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Thursday.

'I think that's important, but I think it's important how you get a win. What do you do? Are you correcting some of the deficiencies that had been problematic for us? Obviously, five turnovers in a game, we've been much better in that area recently, so that's good,' Coach Fran McCaffery said. 'I think defensively in the first half, I'm not sure we can play much better. … Second half we were a little lax again with our ball-screen defense and our recovery and rotations out of that.

'But I thought our activity level and productivity from a lot of different people was really impressive.'

For the most part, Monday night reflected Iowa's first three wins of the season.

The Hawkeyes (4-5) jumped on the Hatters early, and ran the floor with effectiveness. They exploited their sizable athletic advantage, but did so with more efficiency than they have — especially in the last few weeks.

Iowa got career-highs from Cordell Pemsl and Isaiah Moss, each with 21 points. Pemsl added eight rebounds and Moss six. The freshman and redshirt freshman, respectively, had as much of an impact as anyone for the Hawkeyes on a night where Jok struggled again shooting from the field.

Pemsl in particular continued on a roll he began with his first start against Notre Dame. The Dubuque Wahlert grad has shot 23 of 27 from the field — including 9 of 11 on Monday night — since he moved into the starting lineup following Tyler Cook's finger injury.

Moss had five points in each of his first two starts, but went 8 of 13 from the field Monday night. His outburst was powered, McCaffery said, in part by Jok shifting his focus when he wasn't scoring. Jok finished the game with 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, with no turnovers. Jok getting his teammates involved — opening up Moss, in particular — sets a precedent for what the Hawkeyes can look forward to if Jok isn't hitting in the future.

Both Jok and McCaffery downplayed any effect his sore shoulder might have on his shooting, too, and Jok said, 'we're keeping an eye on it. It's not a major thing.'

'Part of the reason why Isaiah gets 21, and Cordell gets 21 is because Pete was giving the ball up,' McCaffery said. 'So we were able to play through him, play off of him, and that's what you're going to be able to do. Otherwise teams lock into one or two guys and you have no chance.'

While Iowa cruised overall, there were a few very tense moments for the Hawkeyes in the second half after forward Ahmad Wagner went down with a hyperextended knee while chasing a rebound in his first start.

Wagner writhed in pain initially, and a hushed Carver-Hawkeye Arena watched him helped off the floor by a trainer and Cook. What looked like a bad injury turned out not to be, and a relieved Wagner returned to the bench after spending time on a stationary bike.

McCaffery said after the game what scared him most was Wagner isn't a 'drama guy' and that the reaction to the injury was more from being scared than the actual pain. His teammates shared in that, with Cook checking on him from the bench multiple times. Pemsl said he 'felt for him' and flashed back to his own knee injuries when it happened.

But McCaffery and Wagner said the sophomore will be fine. He even joked about his 'overreaction' after the game.

'I'm not going to lie, that hurt, but the doctor said I'll be able to play Thursday, so I'm happy about that,' Wagner said. 'It was pretty scary, I'm not going to lie. I thought the worst when I hit the ground.

'My teammates were pretty good about it. They told me they were all worried for me. My mom was the first one to text me — she sent me about eight messages from her. … I think they're happy I'm OK. So am I.'

Iowa will need Wagner back with the Cyclones coming to town. That's a big reason why a win against Stetson was as important as it was.

Every player asked about their in-state rival smirked and gave a polite 'no' when asked initially if they'd thought much about the matchup, but there's no doubt they're excited to welcome Iowa State to town.

'I told them, 'If you're not excited, you're not hyped for this game, you might as well just stay home,'' Jok said. 'We needed this. It's a good confidence-builder for us. We definitely needed it going into playing Iowa State.'

Iowa vs Stetson Box by Jeremiah Davis on Scribd

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