Dec. 8, 2007
by Derek Sawvell
AMES, Iowa — Despite a 15-point, nine-rebound performance from Jarryd Cole, the University of Iowa men’s basketball team dropped its annual in-state battle with Iowa State, 56-47. The victory marked Iowa State’s 400th win in Hilton Coliseum and the 47 points scored by Iowa is the lowest point-total ever in the series against the Cyclones.
Iowa State improved to 4-4 on the season, while Iowa fell to 6-5. Iowa held Iowa State to only 31-percent shooting for the game and grabbed 33 rebounds.
With Iowa’s leading scorer Justin Johnson on the bench for much of the first half after getting into foul trouble, the Hawkeyes relied on contributions from many of its other players for most of the first half.
Jake Kelly scored eight points for Iowa, including four of its first six of the game. Iowa State’s Cory Johnson scored five of the Cyclone’s first six points of the game before J.R. Angle hit a big three-pointer to give the Hawkeyes an early 9-6 lead.
The Cyclones then went on an 8-0 run to take the lead 14-9 and kept the lead for the rest of the half, holding off surges from the Hawkeyes, including a quick run by Cole, who scored four straight points to cut the Cyclone lead to 18-17 with 5-minutes, 6-seconds left in the first half.
Iowa State then got four straight points in the paint from Jiri Hubalek and a dunk from Craig Brackins to push its lead to 26-19. Angle hit another three-pointer with under 10 seconds left in the half to cut the Cyclone lead to 26-22 at halftime.
Iowa State scored five quick points at the start of the second half including a three-point basket from Hubalek to push the lead to 31-22 before Johnson hit two shots from behind the three-point arc to cut the lead back to five at 33-28.
Hubalek, who finished the game with 15 points and thee offensive rebounds, then came alive underneath and contributing from the free-throw line, resulting in Iowa State’s first double-digit lead of the day 43-32.
Johnson hit his final three-point basket of the game with 4:21 left to cut the lead to 48-38, yet Iowa State’s Rahshon Clark answered with a three-pointer at the other end, ballooning the Cyclone lead to 51-38. Clark finished the game with 14 points.
Cole then came alive down the stretch for the Hawkeyes, scoring seven of his 15 points in the final three minutes of the game. It was to no avail as Iowa State held on to its lead by shooting 74 percent (20-27) from the free throw line, resulting in a 56-47 victory. Kelly finished the game with 13 points, five rebounds and five assists while Johnson added nine.
Iowa hosts the Drake Bulldogs on Dec. 14 at 7:05 p.m. at Carver Hawkeye Arena.
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