By Adam Hensley
Nov. 20 — 95-67 win over Texas Rio Grande Valley
Iowa flashed some balanced scoring on Nov. 20, defeating Texas Rio Grande Valley, 95-67.
Once again, Jok led the team in scoring with 27 (in only 19 minutes), but help off the bench was a driving factor.
Isaiah Moss scored a career-high 14 points off the bench, catching the eyes of his coaches and teammates.
“He’s a bucket getter,” Nicholas Baer said in a release.
Nov. 25 — 74-41 loss to No. 7 Virginia
The Cavaliers demolished Iowa, 74-41, in a utterly one-sided affair.
The Hawkeyes’ offense only managed a 31.3-percent shooting and turned the ball over 18 times. Iowa finished 6-of-23 from beyond the arc.
McCaffery praised the Cavaliers, mainly for their suffocating defense.
“I think they really compete,” he said in a release. “They are a great example of five guys playing as one.”
Jok, the only Hawkeye to score in double figures, scored 13 points in the loss.
Iowa’s bench, which averaged 40 points a game entering the tournament, scored only 9 points (tying a season low set against Seton Hall).
Nov. 26 — 100-92 loss to Memphis
In a game that featured little defense, Memphis defeated Iowa 100-92 in the third-place game of the Emerald Coast Classic.
Peter Jok was unstoppable against the Tigers, scoring a career-high 42 points in the Florida shootout.
Jok connected on 8 3-pointers — one more and he would have owned the school record in a single game — and became a member of Iowa’s 1,000-point club in the first half.
Tyler Cook scored 17 points and grabbing 7 rebounds.
Iowa’s defense in the paint was lackluster, allowing 54 points.
Hawkeye head coach Fran McCaffery stressed that while Jok had a hot shooting night, an all-around team effort was needed to win.
“It’s a shame when you have a guy play that well and you can’t ride that to victory,” he said in a release.