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jordan-garretson@uiowa.edu
Devyn Marble admitted he doesn’t ascend to the “top floor” too often.
But he elevated when Iowa needed him to in Wednesday night’s 63-59 win over Minnesota.
The sophomore guard saw an opening created by a Minnesota defensive miscommunication with Iowa trailing, 59-57, and less than two minutes left,. Marble seized it, slashing his way through the lane and towards the basket — but then 6-11 Gopher center Ralph Sampson III emerged in his path. Sampson already accounted for 2 of Minnesota’s 6 blocks on the night, some of which Marble had fallen victim to.
“They were blocking my shot in the first half and I was getting upset,” Marble said. “So I just said, ‘Let’s do this and see how it goes.’ “
The 6-6 Marble exploded off the floor before reaching Sampson’s spot. He cocked the basketball back behind him. A blink of an eye later, Marble slammed the ball into the hoop straight over Sampson’s head.
On this night, Marble made an exception for his usual aversion to “going upstairs.”
“I had a business meeting tonight,” he said. “I took care of business.”
Call that meeting working overtime, then, because Marble was taking care of business well before his SportsCenter-worthy jam. Asked what brought Iowa home to victory, teammate Melsahn Basabe offered a simple explanation with a sly smirk.
“The Devyn Marble Show, really,” he said.
In actuality, Marble didn’t dominate. He finished with a solid but not exceptional 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. Matt Gatens scored more points (18). Zach McCabe and two others snagged more rebounds. McCabe and Bryce Cartwright collected more assists.
But no Hawkeye did more for his team when it mattered the most.
Marble’s game-tying dunk will draw the most adulation, but it would have been irrelevant without his big-time shot on the previous possession.
Marble blocked a shot on the other end of the floor to key a fast-break opportunity, and McCabe dealt an outlet pass to Bryce Cartwright to send the Hawkeyes flying up the floor. Marble trailed slightly on the opposite end of the court, finally settling all alone on the wing.
Cartwright found him.
With no defender near him, Marble spotted up and drilled a 3-pointer to cut Minnesota’s lead to 2 with 2:29 left. Not bad for a player who entered Wednesday with only 6 treys on the season.
“When I can get my feet set and under me, it’s money,” Marble said. “But it’s not one of my favorite shots. I had confidence when I shot it. It was a good time to take it, a momentum changer.”
Cartwright converted two free throws on the possession following Marble’s dunk to catapult Iowa into a 61-59 lead.
Marble drove the lane again on the next drive down, this time drawing too much pressure to take it to the rim.
But Marble’s penetration freed up Gatens for an opportunity underneath the hoop.
“I knew I was going to get it to him,” Marble said of the difficult passing angle created by Minnesota’s defense. “It was just how I was going to get it to him.”
Marble delivered a pass to Gatens with expert precision. All that was left for Gatens was an easy layup, propelling Iowa to a game-closing 63-59 lead with eight seconds left.
“That’s what Devyn Marble is,” coach Fran McCaffery said. “He’s a playmaker.”
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