By Adam Hensley
Hoping to break a four-game losing streak, the Hawkeyes (3-5) will host Stetson (4-5) at 6 p.m. today in the first-ever matchup between the programs.
Fans are growing hungry for this losing streak to end, especially after an upset loss to Omaha.
The Mavericks beat the Hawkeyes, 98-89, in a game in which defense was nowhere to be found.
“I think [Omaha] was a talented team,” head coach Fran McCaffery said. “I think [they were] a talented team that moved the ball. They’ve got a really good point guard. They have numerous 3-point shooters, so it’s obviously harder. But our defensive communication and coordination was really poor. I don’t know if I’ve ever coached a team that made 14 3s and lost by 9.”
In all but one of Iowa’s losses this season, the points have piled up, but the defense has disappeared. Games have turned into shootouts, and neither the coaches nor players want that trend to continue.
“We can score against anybody, but if we can’t stop people, we aren’t going to win,” senior Peter Jok said. “Big Ten starts soon. We got [Stetson], that’s going to be OK, so we need that. Then we start with Iowa State, UNI, so from on, it’s going to be great teams.”
One good thing that developed during this four-game stretch was Iowa’s offensive help. Jok wouldn’t be able to carry the team all season long; he needed someone to assist in the scoring department.
Freshman Tyler Cook seemed to be the answer, but he fractured his finger in the Emerald Coast Classic in Florida. He’s out for three weeks.
Two other freshmen, Jordan Bohannon and Cordell Pemsl, took charge against Notre Dame when Jok’s shots weren’t falling, and the duo hasn’t looked back, combining for 38 points against Omaha — it was the second-straight game in which each scored at least 18.
Both first-year Hawkeyes received the starting nod against the Fighting Irish, and McCaffery stuck with the same starting lineup against the Mavericks on Dec. 3.
In his first two starts, Bohannon has knocked down 13 3-pointers, a team-high over the past two contests.
The Marion native knows that Iowa is capable of playing defense, it’s whether those stingy, turnover-inducing defensive stretches span an entire game.
“You saw spurts [on defense], like it’s there,” he said. “We just need to put 40 minutes together.”
Aside from Jok, Pemsl, and Bohannon, no player scored more than 5 points. Omaha held Iowa’s bench in check, only allowing 9 points to a unit capable of scoring — the bench scored 76 points against Savannah State.
Tonight against Stetson, Iowa’s defense needs to lock into place, and not just because the schedule will continue to become tougher.
The Hatters have four players averaging double-digit scoring, including Derick Newton, who scores 18.6 a game.
As a team, Stetson averages 78.2 points a game. Iowa has given up 85 points a game.
Bohannon sees two areas on defense in which Iowa needs to improve — energy and communication.
“We’re all comfortable with each other, and we all want to win, obviously, but there are times when we get away from our principles that coach has been preaching since Day 1,” he said.