Junior Dom Uhl had his first double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Hawkeyes.
By Jake Mosbach
In the early goings of the Dec. 5 game against Missouri-Kansas City in Carver-Hawkeye, sophomore forward Dom Uhl struggled. Head coach Fran McCaffery will be the first to tell you that.
But as the contest progressed, so did Uhl. In fact, he recorded his first career double-double against the Kangaroos, pushing the Hawks to a 95-75 victory. The win improved the Hawkeyes to 6-2 on the season.
The Frankfurt, Germany, native racked up 14 points and 10 rebounds to go along with 3 assists and a block.
“[Uhl] didn’t start great,” McCaffery said. “I was getting ready to yank him because I thought he wasn’t quite ready … but his energy level was worth me leaving him in the game, so I left him in the game, and he was spectacular. I’m just so proud of him.”
The game began with a quick 7-0 Iowa run before Mizzou-KC stormed back, playing the Hawks neck-and-neck for much of the first half. Then, McCaffery’s bench began to showcase its impressive depth.
One of those bench players, Nicholas Baer, turned in a career-high 14 points, connecting on 4-of-5 3-point attempts.
Baer, a redshirt freshman, said the depth of the bench is key if the team wishes to be successful.
“That’s the strength of our team, having balance,” Baer said. “One night it could be Dom, or it could be me or Brady [Ellingson], or anyone coming off the bench ready to contribute.”
Freshman Ahmad Wagner also stepped up off the bench Saturday afternoon, adding 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.
McCaffery had high praise for Wagner, who hit the court for 17 minutes against the Kangaroos.
“He’s a phenomenal athlete,” McCaffery said. “He’s really a cerebral guy. He understands what we need to be done. He never tries to get out of what he does well. He makes the play if the play is there, and if it’s not, he moves on.”
Other scorers for the Hawkeyes included Anthony Clemmons (13 points), Jarrod Uthoff (13), Peter Jok (10), Ellingson (7), Anthony Fleming (6), Adam Woodbury (4), Michael Soukup (3), and Mike Gesell (2).
Senior point guard Gesell noted that the team has become much more cohesive throughout the early going, and that would begin to show.
“Our team is like a family,” he said. “We’re meshing as a team … that’s big, especially with a team that’s changing defenses and trying to pressure you. There are still things that could be worked on, but overall, it’s very good.”
The Hawks have little time to dwell on the win; they will return to action tonight against Western Illinois in Carver-Hawkeye.
McCaffery said he and his staff would watch film from the Dec. 5 game as well as scout Western Illinois in the short time they have to prepare.
“We’ll do a little of both,” he said. “We’ll break this down and show some clips. There were some problem areas [Dec. 5], but if you look at the positives and the negatives, there were way more positives.”
