Nov. 17, 2011
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — Who says these high-scoring outbursts and easy victories in men’s basketball have to end? They didn’t Thursday for the University of Iowa during an 88-55 rout of Northern Illinois on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Iowa improved to 3-0 by shooting 54.1 percent from the field, 61.9 percent from 3-point range and outscoring the Huskies 43-11 in bench points. Fifteen Hawkeyes played, and 10 of them logged at least 12 minutes.
UI freshman Josh Oglesby, who entered the game shooting 11.1 percent from the field, made 6-of-9 field goals and 4-of-7 3-pointers for a team-high 16 points. Matt Gatens added 15 points and Eric May tossed in 14.
“I have seen very few shooters that shoot the ball like he does in 29 years,” UI head coach Fran McCaffery said of Oglesby. “When you have them like that, what they have to know is that I have every bit as much confidence in him as he has in himself, and he can shoot it whenever he wants to, early in the shot clock, at the end of the shot clock, off one pass, in transition, doesn’t matter.”
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The impressive statistical edge for the Hawkeyes didn’t end there. They held vast advantages in fast-break points (16-0), points off turnovers (28-4) and points in the paint (34-18). Iowa made 33 field goals with 26 assists.
“I think 26 assists on 33 baskets, that’s really impressive,” McCaffery said. “I think that’s the thing as you look at the stats that impresses me the most, that’s it.”
The Hawkeyes shot a season-best from the floor, making 33-of-61 shots; the 13 3-pointer goals is also a season-high.
A senior and a freshman grabbed the first-half scoring honors for the Hawkeyes, who built a 19-point cushion (49-30) after 20 minutes. Gatens and Oglesby had 11 points at the break on identical 4-of-5 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from 3-point range. Iowa made 7-of-9 3-pointers in the first half.
Cartwright had seven assists in 15 minutes.
The Hawkeyes forced 10 first-half turnovers resulting in 21 points; Iowa’s bench outscored the Huskies, 17-3.
Abdel Nader of Northern Illinois led all players with 18 points. Husky Tim Toler added 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
The Hawkeyes turn their attention to undefeated Creighton (3-0), a team that has won at home and on the road. Sunday’s matchup in the Dale Howard Classic will be played on a neutral site at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. After feasting on Chicago State, North Carolina A&T and now Northern Illinois, McCaffery knows the level of competition stiffens.
“Not only is it a step up, it’s not here,” McCaffery said. “It’s not in their place, either, but there will be fans from both programs. The thing that I’ve been really impressed with about (Creighton) is they’re kind of the same way that we’ve just been talking. They share the ball. They have various guys that can make shots. So they’ve got a lot of weapons, and they’ve got four transfers that are older guys, and they’ve got some experienced guards. They are not going to beat themselves.”