Slow offense helping Iowa’s defense

IOWA CITY - Iowa hit nearly half its shots from the field against Northern Illinois, but the Hawkeyes still appear out of sync offensively to senior Aaron White.

Strangely, White said that actually might be good for the team, despite the 70-49 win on Wednesday.

'I think this little streak we're in offensively is helping us,” White said. 'We're not shooting the ball well, we're not scoring well. I think it's going to help us in the long run because when it comes down to it, last year, in New York, when we get in tough games, we rely on our offense too much to get us going. Whereas we need to rely on our defense more.”

Iowa (4-2) held the Huskies (2-1) to just 27.9 percent shooting, The Hawkeyes forced 17 turnovers, which led to 22 points. But areas of concern remain on the defensive end, of which Coach Fran McCaffery is trying to shore.

'We gave up 23 offensive rebounds. That's a high number,” McCaffery said. 'They're slashing, high‑flying, quick. It's kind of how they play. They're typically not shooting a great percentage, but they battle you. They go back and get it. They keep fighting you. They fight you at both ends.”

Northern Illinois scored 20 points in the paint and put up 21 second-chance points. It's also the second consecutive game Iowa has tied an opponent with the same number of rebounds. Iowa plays Longwood (2-4) at 1 p.m. Saturday.

NEW FACE

Iowa freshman Brady Ellingson played three minutes and scored one point and grabbed one steal. His status for this season remains undetermined.

Ellingson, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard, had foot surgery earlier this summer. He's recovered slowly and he remains a candidate for a medical red-shirt.

'I don't know where this is going to end up for him,” McCaffery said. 'He had a great practice yesterday. We'll see if he can tolerate it. If not, we'll shut him down, red-shirt him. He can play in a few games to kind of see if he can tolerate the pain, see where this thing is going.”

With Iowa's offensive struggles, particularly from the perimeter, Ellingson will provide help. He was considered one of the better pure shooters in the region as a senior in high school.

'He's just a smart, skilled, tough kid,” McCaffery said. 'You know, he can feed the post. He's a surprisingly good rebounder for a guy who is 6-3. He's not a mistake guy. Big‑time shot‑maker.”

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