By Ben Schuff
benjamin-schuff@uiowa.edu
For the third time this year, the Iowa men’s basketball team has won two consecutive games.
Iowa (7-5) picked up right where they left off on Dec. 17, beating Central Arkansas 105-64 Monday night in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The Hawkeyes never trailed the Bears (5-5), jumping out to an early 24-5 lead. Iowa’s defense stifled Central Arkansas early on to the tune of 2-of-10 shooting, and created 6 Bear turnovers in the first 8:24. The Hawkeyes were hot offensively during the same stretch, scoring on seven of the team’s first 10 possessions.
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Finding the open shooter was something the Hawkeyes succeeded at early and often throughout the game, collecting 32 assists on 42 made field goals. Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said his team’s assist total pleased him the most in a dominating performance.
Sophomore Roy Devyn Marble set a career-high by accounting for six of those assists while committing zero turnovers. Marble now has 43 assists on the season, two more than he had all of last year. The 6-6 guard also scored a game-high 19 points in what McCaffery called an “absolutely phenomenal” performance.
The second year head coach said the effort Marble gave against Central Arkansas is no longer a welcomed surprise — it’s McCaffery’s expectation.
“More importantly, I think [Marble] sort of expects it from himself,” McCaffery said. “That’s the critical part every player has to get to at some point.”
Marble’s play also caught the attention of Central Arkansas head coach Corliss Williamson, who spent 12 years playing in the NBA.
“Watching him on film doesn’t do his game justice,” Williamson said. “The way he moves on the court and the way he sets up his plays to score or to get somebody else open — he is an exciting player to watch. He’s got a bright future ahead of him.”
Marble was one of five Hawkeyes to score double figure points on a night that saw Iowa eclipse the 100-point plateau for the first time this season. Three other starters posted at least 10 points — Zach McCabe scored 8 points in 13 minutes — led by Melsahn Basabe’s 14-point, 9-rebound performance.
Aaron White contributed 17 points off the bench and provided a huge boost for the Black and Gold. White subbed in for McCabe less than three minutes into the contest after McCabe picked up two fouls in 38 seconds. The freshman forward also grabbed 5 rebounds and threw down four crowd-pleasing dunks.
“I liked the pace of that game — we got out and ran,” White said. “I like to finish above the rim. Coaches have always told me, ‘Don’t lay it in, go up strong.’ You get a better chance of making it or getting fouled.”
Central Arkansas’ Dewan Clayborn paced the Bears with 18 points and fueled a comeback effort midway through the first half. The senior made four of his game-high six 3-pointers during a 22-9 run that cut Iowa’s lead to 33-27. Clayborn entered the game having made 4-of-20 perimeter shots on the year.
Six points were as close as Central Arkansas would get, however, as Matt Gatens hit a 3-pointer on the ensuing Iowa possession. The senior guard scored 11 points, and said despite the offensive output, Iowa’s defense was its key to victory.
“I think the break was good for us during finals week to get back to basic fundamentals,” Gatens said. “It was huge for us to step away from all the scouts and concentrate on [our problems] defensively.”
