Mike Gesell had 22 points and 10 assists as the Hawkeyes downed Nebraska, 77-66.

By Kyle Mann
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The No. 19 Iowa men’s basketball team tried to play a stern host to Nebraska on Jan. 5 in Carver-Hawkeye, hoping to continue its hot streak after entering the top 25 for the first time this season. Iowa entered the night as a comfortable favorite, but as usual (recently), made it interesting in a 77-66, far-from-runaway victory.

Iowa has been relatively hit-or-miss in the first half this season, and an 0-of-6 shooting start from the floor, not to mention falling behind 10-0, had Iowa fans wondering if they’d see the version that isn’t always that awesome.

However, a Dom Uhl basket five minutes into the half broke the drought and triggered a run that put the Hawkeyes right back in it.

After knocking down a pair of free throws, Jarrod Uthoff came up with a steal that led to a pull-up 3. That was part of a 6-of-7 run from the floor concluding with a Peter Jok 3 to take a 19-17 lead with just under 10 minutes remaining in the half.

It was a new game from that point forward, and the Hawkeyes turned to what has been their calling card of late: their defense.

Nebraska remained scoreless on 0-of-12 shooting from the field over the final 7:35 of the half, and the Hawks took advantage.

Though Iowa ended the half shooting just 40 percent, a 12-0 run gave the Hawkeyes a 31-22 lead at the break. Iowa had 6 blocks in the half, led by Uthoff with 4.

“That end of the first half where we don’t score for seven and a half minutes, we had open looks; I think we missed about five of them,” Nebraska head coach Tim Miles said. “That’s just too big of a dry spell.”

For as much attention as Uthoff gets for his offense, his defense played a larger part in the up-and-down first half.

“It’s rare that you see a kind of small forward with that kind of shot blocking,” Hawk coach Fran McCaffery said. “He gives you a lot of flexibility as a coach.”

The Hawkeyes extended their lead early in the second half with 3s by Jok and Mike Gesell, and they led 43-29 at the first media time-out (15:58). It was otherwise a slow start, however, and Iowa really had only one player clicking early. Gesell, the Hawks’ second-half specialist in recent games, had 9 points in the first seven minutes and largely fueled the offense for much of the half.

While the rest of the Hawkeyes stalled, the Cornhuskers reduced their deficit to 8, trailing only 52-44 with 10:16 remaining. Iowa had built enough of a cushion to survive, however, and after Uhl hit a free throw to push the margin back to 10 at the 9:07 mark, the Hawkeyes’lead never slipped under double digits again.

Iowa’s lead was back to 12 at the media time-out at 7:39, 60-48, and the teams hovered around that margin for most of the remainder of the game.

Uthoff finished with 25 points, but Gesell carried the Hawkeyes to the finish line offensively. He had 19 points in the second half and finished with 22 points on a remarkably efficient 7 shots. He also dished 10 assists, and the senior point guard notched his first career double-double.

“He’s from Nebraska, so that’s extra motivation for him, and he played great,” Uthoff said. “The way he moved the ball, the way he attacked, penetrated, kicked out, and scored for himself was fantastic.”

Iowa moves to 12-3 on the season, 3-0 Big Ten, and has a layoff before its next game, at Michigan State on Jan. 14.

Follow @kylefmann on Twitter for Iowa men’s basketball news, updates, and analysis.