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By RICK BROWN
hawkeyesports.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Peter Jok is on a sprint to 1,000 career points.
The senior guard scored 27 points in 19 minutes of the University of Iowa’s 95-67 victory over Texas-Rio Grande Valley on Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Jok, coming off a career-high 30-point effort in Thursday’s 91-83 loss to Seton Hall, has scored 57 points in 55 minutes over the last two games. He now has 969 points for his career.
“My confidence has always been high in myself and my jump shot,” Jok said. “But I’m a senior now. I see everything slow. I’m playing at my pace, and I’m not letting them rush me. I think that’s a big part of why I play good.”
Jok made 9-of-13 shots from the field Sunday as the Hawkeyes improved to 3-1. That included five 3-pointers in eight attempts.
“I’ve been pleased with his shot selection,” Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said. “Twenty-seven points on 13 shots is pretty impressive.”
Jok is shooting 52.9 percent from the field through four games, including 38.2 percent from 3-point distance. He’s also made all 12 of his free throw attempts.
One thing Jok worked on this summer was the pace of his game. And that work is showing on the floor.
“He’s got a good pace to his game,” McCaffery said. “He knows when to speed up, when to slow down, when to wait. He’s taking a lot of shots, and I want him to take a lot of shots. But I don’t think he’s hunting shots or being unselfish at all.”
Freshman Tyler Cook added 15 points. Freshman guard Isaiah Moss came off the bench to add 14.
McCaffery singled out Moss for his contribution Sunday, and his players agreed.
“He’s a bucket getter,” forward Nicholas Baer said. “He’s aggressive. That’s when he’s at his best, when he’s aggressive.”
McCaffery made liberal use of his bench the second half . Three starters — Dom Uhl, Christian Williams and Jok — played only 4 minutes. Baer played 5 and
Cook 7.
That opened the door of opportunity for the reserves, and provided valuable experience on a team that has 10 freshmen or sophomores on scholarship. One of those freshmen, point guard Jordan Bohannon, logged 24 minutes.
“I think it’s huge,” Bohannon said. “(Coach McCaffery’s) been trying to give me that experience. Games like this will help me in the long run.”
Bohannon struggled with his shot, missing 6-of-7 attempts, but he had six assists to two turnovers and a steal.
“A couple of shots go in and all of a sudden you’re looking and saying, “Well, he had an unbelievable game,” McCaffery said.
Jok said the storyline of this season will be determined at the defensive end.
“I haven’t really played good defense this year, and I’ve got to step it up so the guys follow me,” Jok said. “Offensively, we’ll be good as long as we move the ball because we have a lot of guys who can score. But to be successful, we have to play defense. And it starts with me.”
Iowa returns to action Friday when it plays Virginia in the Emerald Coast Classic in Niceville, Florida. The Hawkeyes will face Providence or Memphis on Nov. 26.
JONES SIDELINED 8-9 WEEKS WITH WRIST INJURY
Iowa senior forward Dale Jones will be sidelined eight to nine weeks with a fractured right wrist, McCaffery said Sunday. Jones, from Waterloo, Iowa, was injured against Seton Hall on Thursday.
Jones has been hampered with injuries his entire career. He played just six games during the 2015-16 season because of a knee injury, which required surgery. He also missed the 2013-14 season at Tyler Junior College in Texas because of a knee injury that also required surgery.
“I feel awful for him,” McCaffery said after Sunday’s game. “He walked in (to practice), he’s got a cast on it, I walked over and gave him a hug and said, ‘It’s going to happen for you this year, you’ve just got to stay positive.’ He’s had an unbelieve ably positive attitude. I thought he would be as down as he’s ever been. He’s been good. I’ve been impressed with his maturity, helping the other guys, being a leader. I’m really proud of him.”
