Iowa shakes Alcorn State

IOWA CITY - Games like these are little more than exhibitions to the Iowa fan base.

While they appear to serve little purpose - 67-44 against Alcorn State last night - they're vital to basketball programs like Iowa, which need maximum development before hitting the gauntlet of Big Ten play later this month.

The game that was moderately competitive throughout the first half before Iowa pulled away. But the most important value - outside of the final score, of course - was the number of minutes played by reserves.

Peter Jok played 16 minutes. Dominique Uhl played for 21. Trey Dickerson ran the show for 12 minutes. Those numbers mattered little in the outcome but their meaning comes in January when those players called upon for a contribution in Big Ten play.

Uhl, 6-foot-8 freshman from Germany, continues to show strides as his minutes increase. He scored a career-high 11 points and he pulled down six rebounds.

'I thought he was terrific,” Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said. 'I think it starts with him, with his energy level, and he was really active. He was attacking the basket off the dribble, making plays for other people. Made some plays for himself. Got on the offensive glass, and that was important for him.

'But he looked comfortable out there to me and impacted the game in a big way.”

One reserve who usually plays a starter's minutes, Gabe Olaseni, extended his strong play with 12 points and 10 rebounds in 18 minutes. He produced back-to-back dunks on consecutive possessions, one on a fast-break with 7:48 left in the game.

Starters Aaron White and Jarrod Uthoff scored 15 and 13 points, respectively. They played sparingly in the second half.

Iowa led 35-20 at halftime. The Hawkeyes scored on their first four possessions, which culminated in a 3-pointer from Mike Gesell. The teams traded baskets until Alcorn State clawed back within five points at 19014 with 7:03 left. Then the Hawkeyes took off.

Uthoff drove the baseline and for a dunk to put the team up 21-14. Three possessions later, Iowa guard Josh Oglesby tossed an alley-oop pass to White for a dunk and a 26-18 lead.

Uthoff hit a jumper, White a pair of free throws and the Uthoff drilled a 3-pointer to complete a 10-0 run and give Iowa a 33-18 lead. After two Alcorn State free throws, Uthoff drove to the basket for a score as time expired and gave Iowa a 35-20 halftime advantage.

In the first half, White scored 13 points and knocked down nine of 10 shots from the free-throw line. Uthoff scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting. As a team Iowa shot 14 free throws, making 12. Alcorn State shot just two of three from the line.

Iowa's outside shooters continue to struggle. The Hawkeyes were 3 of 19 from 3-point range. Senior guard Josh Oglesby missed all five 3-point attempts, while Peter Jok connected on just one of five. McCaffery praised their shot selection but is unsure if they are pressing.

'They are wide open,” McCaffery said. 'I only get upset if they start hunting them and start shooting uncontested 3s or ill advised. Probably shot a couple earlier in the shot clock than I would have liked but I mean, we were moving the ball. We were finding guys.”

Oglesby in particular has struggled shooting the ball. He's hit just 10 of 45 from 3-point range. But he only has five turnovers and 27 assists and his defense has been good with seven steals.

'Look how well he's played,” McCaffery said. 'He's playing great. I mean, his defense, his passing, phenomenal. He knows what we're doing. He lines up. He's just not shooting the ball in the hole.”

The Hawkeyes (8-2) face instate foe Iowa State (7-1) on Friday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Alcorn State falls to 1-6.

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