Hawkeyes destroy Penn basketball in Iowa, 86-55

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Entering Friday night’s road matchup with another Big Ten foe, the plan was simple for the Penn men’s basketball team.

If the Quakers could come into Iowa City and avoid the problems that plagued them during their first two losses of the new campaign, they just might have a chance against one of the best young teams in the country.

Unfortunately for coach Jerome Allen and company, the Red and Blue had no such luck.

Similar to the team’s previous two losses to Temple and Penn State, Penn created a first-half deficit that was too difficult to overcome, and the Quakers fell to No. 25 Iowa, 86-55.

For the game’s first few possessions, it looked as though the Red and Blue (1-3) might give the undefeated Hawkeyes (5-0) a run for their money. Penn jumped out to an early lead and was playing strong zone defense, forcing misses from an Iowa team loaded with talent.

That’s when the Quakers reverted back to some of the same mistakes from the team’s first three contests.

Though Penn hung tough throughout the majority of the first half, the team consistently halted its own progress. The Quakers turned the ball over 17 times in the first 20 minutes, and were unable to get into a rhythm offensively.

“We talk about how to play on the road,” Allen said. “We have to take care of the defensive glass and keep teams out of the paint.

“Our inability to stay locked into the details and be strong with the ball came back to bite us.”

Despite a back-and-forth opening sequence, the Hawkeyes took the lead off a dunk from junior center Gabriel Olesani with 12:58 remaining in the first half. Up 14-13, they never relinquished the lead, and the pressure was on Penn to just keep up.

Much of Iowa’s success was due in large part to the foul trouble that Penn was forced to deal with all night.

Just like the matchup with Penn State last Saturday, the Red and Blue had to go deep into the team’s bench with so many starters being whistled for fouls. Sophomore center Darien Nelson-Henry picked up two fouls in the game’s first six minutes, but he wasn’t the only one dealing with issues with the whistle.

Penn put the Hawkeyes into the bonus with over 11 minutes remaining in the first half. The combination of foul trouble and turnovers proved to be the perfect recipe for Iowa’s success.

“We have to be a little bit more poised, slow the game down and be strong with the ball,” Allen said.

The Hawkeyes also hammered Penn in transition. The Quakers’ turnovers played right into Iowa’s hands, and one of the nation’s highest scoring teams outscored Penn, 37-9, in transition.

“We see ourselves no differently from any team in any other conference,” Allen said. “Our ability to win or lose basketball games comes down to what we do and how we approach the details.

“We prepared with the expectation of winning this game but unfortunately it didn’t work out that way.”

Friday’s matchup had been billed as the matchup between brothers on either side of the court. Though both Penn senior guard Dau Jok and Iowa freshman guard Peter Jok saw plenty of playing time, only the Hawkeyes’ rookie can be pleased with his performance.

Iowa’s Jok finished with eight points, while Dau missed all six of his shots.

But the star of the game was sophomore Jarrod Uthoff. The second-year man from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, finished with 19 points on six-of-seven shooting.

Even though he struggled from the field, senior guard Roy Devyn Marble added 13 points for Iowa, and sophomore guard Mike Gesell provided an early spark for the Hawkeyes. He finished with 10 points.

Nelson-Henry led the Quakers with 13 points, but no player made much of an impact on a game that quickly escaped from Penn towards the end of the first half.

The Red and Blue will look to rebound when they face Niagara on Tuesday back at the Palestra

SEE ALSO

Penn men’s hoops heads to Midwest to take on undefeated Hawkeyes

Tydings | 2013-14 Penn basketball too similar to last year’s frustrating season

Three Up, Three Down | Beating Iowa will be tall order for Penn basketball

Ivy Basketball Roundup: November 21st

By the numbers: Penn basketball’s foul-filled loss to Penn State

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.