By Brendan Stiles
brendan-stiles@uiowa.edu
After a rough 48-hour span that saw sophomore guard Anthony Tucker arrested for a public intoxication, the Iowa men’s basketball team was able to channel its energy into something positive Monday night.
Behind strong performances from team leaders such as sophomore Matt Gatens and junior Jarryd Cole, the Hawkeyes were able to manhandle South Carolina State, 82-69, for their second straight win.
The victory puts Iowa at 5-7 overall as the Hawkeyes enter Big Ten play next week.
After falling behind 5-0 to the Bulldogs in the first minute, Gatens came back and got things going for Iowa by knocking down a 3-pointer. From there, it would be a back-and-forth game until late in the first half, when the Hawkeyes went on a 24-8 run to end the game’s first 20-minute stanza.
“We just came down, got stops, and finished each play,” sophomore Aaron Fuller said. “We really took our time in [the paint] and finished it, and we played really good on defense.”
Gatens would once again lead the way with 20 points, eight assists and five rebounds, while Cole had 19 points before leaving with what appeared to be an ankle sprain.
Off the bench, the Hawkeyes got major contributions from Fuller and freshman Eric May. Fuller finished with 12 points, while May came away with 18 points and eight rebounds. Senior Devan Bawinkel got the start in place of Tucker, who was suspended indefinitely on Sunday.
This night also proved to be a memorable one for Iowa head coach Todd Lickliter.
His son, redshirt freshman John Lickliter, got his first significant playing time of the season, which included an assist on a Gatens 3-pointer, and his first two career points, coming during a one-and-one situation in the first half.
Coincidentally, his two made free throws broke a 22-22 tie and sparked the run Iowa went on to close the first half.
“He’ll probably get more opportunities down the road and give Cully [Payne] some breaks at the point guard position,” said Gatens, who played with John Lickliter at Iowa City High. “It’s huge if he can just step in and take care of the ball and run the plays and knock down the open shot if he gets it.”
The Hawkeyes resume their current homestand next week, with their first two conference games taking place at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa’s Big Ten opener will be against No. 4 Purdue on Dec. 29. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m., that evening.
Tucker update
After the game, Todd Lickliter addressed the matter regarding Tucker a little further and reiterated the stance taken on Sunday, saying he would be suspended indefinitely and that “an ongoing evaluation” is taking place.
“Right now, the only thing I expect is that he’s on a leave of absence, he needs to get things settled with his situation with the arrest,” the third-year Iowa head coach said. “He needs to get that settled, and then we can talk about the rest of it after that.”
