Iowa City, IA- Iowa forward Aaron White dunks against Penn State in the Hawkeyes' 77-64 victory over the Nittany Lions at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday, February 4, 2012. (The Daily Iowan/Adam Wesley)
By Jordan Garretson
jordan-garretson@uiowa.edu
The Hawkeyes needed nearly every second of Wednesday’s game to secure a 64-62 win against Minnesota. They didn’t wait so long to distance themselves on Saturday.
Iowa (13-11, 5-6 Big Ten) used a 16-2 opening run to shock Penn State (10-14, 2-9) and ultimately earn a 77-64 victory in front of 13,510 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Some of the Hawkeyes’ best defense of the season came in the first half. Penn State began by shooting 1-of-9 from the floor and finished the half 8-of-30. The Hawkeyes took a 36-19 lead into the break.
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“I think that [good start] was the result of our defense,” coach Fran McCaffery said. “Stops and fast breaks. Stop, fast break … We had them spread out. They were back to keep us from hitting lay-ups and we hit a couple shots there.”
The margin ballooned to 26 points with 17:39 left, and the Nittany Lions trimmed the deficit to as few as 11 points with 1:08 left. But for the most part, the Hawkeyes maintained a secure edge throughout, something they’ve struggled to do at times.
“The key was — we’re up 17 at half — let’s go to 25, not to 10,” said senior Matt Gatens, who scored a team-high 18 points. “We didn’t get up to 25, but we kept it right around 20 for most of the second half, which shows we’re making strides. The good teams put teams away and go up that 25, 30, and finish it off. We let them hang around a little bit. But for the most part, we did a good job of finishing it off.”
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Aaron White gave Iowa’s offense an early spark. The freshman forward scored 8 points in the first 6:08, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers.
White made his mark in every column of the game’s box score, going for 17 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals. He played a season-high 32 minutes in his third-straight start.
McCaffery said White looked like a “different person” in terms of stamina. The second-year coach didn’t know if he could have played him 32 minutes eight weeks ago.
“When I heard you guys coming up to me talking about my stamina and Coach always brought it up, I kind of took that to heart,” White said. “I wanted to prove, not only to coach, but to everyone on the team, that I can play 30 minutes at this level and withstand it. I think I can still improve there. I got winded once late in the first half, but I’m getting better.”
Bryce Cartwright, who assisted on White’s first two baskets, turned in one of his most complete performances of the season. The senior point guard finished with 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting, a career-high 7 rebounds, and 5 assists while turning the ball over just once.
“He was great,” McCaffery said. “The way he ran the break in the first half is how he was running at the end of the year. It’s been how he’s running it lately. We’re a different team. He’s pushing it.”
Iowa enjoyed a massive advantage at the free-throw line. The Hawkeyes hit 29-of-34 foul shots while the Nittany Lions were 4-of-7. Penn State coach Patrick Chambers sounded less than thrilled with the officiating.
“I thought we did a good job driving the ball,” Chambers said. “I thought we did a good job of creating some contact-type situations and we didn’t get there [to the free-throw line]. It’s what it is to go on the road.
“34-7, that’s a big disparity.”
McCaffery said it was “great to get Eric May back” after the junior forward missed Wednesday’s game with a back issue. May recorded 4 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals in 12 minutes of play.
The Hawkeyes will try for their third-consecutive win when they play Northwestern (13-8, 3-6) at 8:05 p.m. on Feb. 9 in Evanston, Ill.
“I think we’re going down there with, legitimately, a pretty high confidence level in terms of how we’re playing,” McCaffery said. “But I think we have great respect for what they’ve done, where they are. They’ve got some great wins.
“Certainly beating Michigan State … shows you what they’re capable of doing.”
