Statistics belie performance in Iowa win

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — There was little beautiful about last night's game for Iowa except for the grit with which it was formed.

Iowa missed all 12 second-half 3-point attempts. The Hawkeyes (6-2) shot just 24.2 percent from the floor after halftime. North Carolina (5-2) wasn't much better at 27.9 percent shooting the whole game. But the toughness and defense that Iowa had lacked in previous outings came to life in a 60-55 win at the Dean Smith Center.

Aaron White, Iowa's leading scorer, missed all six field-goal attempts. But he was 10-for-10 from the free-throw line. Jarrod Uthoff sank just 2 of 11 shots, but he grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked five shots. After one offensive rebound in the first half, the Hawkeyes pulled down 16 in the second.

'Well, we missed a lot of shots. That helped,' quipped Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery. 'We really went after them. I mean, it was the only way we were going to survive. We weren't shooting the ball well and you have to go back and get it. You have to drive. You have to get into the bonus. You have to try to get some easy baskets in transition, which were few and far between in this game.

'The only way we survived was to go back and get it, so I'm really proud of my guys.'

Iowa shot just 32.7 percent for the game, but the Hawkeyes were aggressive in attacking the Tar Heels and getting to the free-throw line. Iowa sank 21 of 24 free-throw attempts, while North Carolina made just 13 of 17.

Uthoff tied the game at 55-55 after hitting one of two free throws, then grabbed a rebound on the other end that led to Mike Gesell's game-winning three-point play with 1:16 left. Anthony Clemmons took a charge with 50 seconds remaining. Adam Woodbury scored on three consecutive possessions to end a 7-minute, 30-second scoring drought.

'That's what you have to do when the ball's not falling,' Clemmons said.

TOUGH LOSS FOR PAIGE

North Carolina guard Marcus Paige scored 13 points on 4-of-16 shooting. It was a tough outing for the Marion native, who drew a charge on one possession and followed with a missed 3-pointer on the next with the game on the line.

'It's not any harder than losing any other game at home,' Paige said. We had a goal of going undefeated at home; it doesn't matter who comes into our gym. We just didn't play well enough today. They made some plays down the stretch, and we didn't respond the way we should have.'

Paige drew compliments from Gesell and Woodbury — his former AAU teammates — as well as McCaffery, who doggedly recruited Paige.

'I have so much respect for Marcus and his family,' McCaffery said. 'I told him I wish him the best the rest of the way. He is going to be great. He is going to be great in the pros.'

'He's like my brother,' Gesell said. 'Every time I step in a competition, I want to beat him. It's a friendly competition.'

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