Iowa blasts UMBC 77-47

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) Sophomore Peter Jok spent much of the season playing ''sideways'' - a term Iowa coach Fran McCaffery likes to use when his players are off their games.

It took an overmatched opponent for Jok to finally get going.

Peter Jok and Gabe Olaseni each tied career highs with 15 points apiece and Iowa trounced Maryland-Baltimore County 77-47 on Saturday.

Aaron White had 14 points in just 17 minutes for the Hawkeyes (7-2), who've won five straight since back-to-back losses to Texas and Syracuse.

Iowa went on a 20-0 run midway through the first half, turning the rest of the game into a glorified exhibition. The Hawkeyes led by as many as 35 points.

Jok led the way, shooting 4 of 6 from 3-point range.

''He was just off a little bit,'' McCaffery said. ''He's just got too much talent. He's got as pretty a stroke as I've seen. He's got great confidence in his ability to score.''

Cody Joyce had nine points to lead the winless Retrievers. UMBC (0-8) committed 26 turnovers.

Iowa was coming off its biggest win of the season, a 60-55 victory at No. 12 North Carolina.

The Hawkeyes looked a bit sluggish early.

It didn't matter though - mostly because UMBC is one of the worst teams in the country. It entered play ranked 331st out of 351 Division I teams in RPI and has only been within 10 points of an opponent once all season.

Iowa held the Retrievers scoreless for 8 minutes, and Jok's 3 with 9:20 left in the first half made it 26-6. The Hawkeyes went on another big run of 20-2 late in the first half and led 48-20 at the break.

Iowa, which beat the Tar Heels despite shooting 32.7 percent, was 18 of 33 from the field in the first half.

''I think that definitely shows the character that we have on this team. You have a big win like that on the road and... we came ready to play. I think we did a really good job defensively,'' Iowa guard Mike Gesell said.

TIPS INS

Iowa: Center Adam Woodbury flipped a behind-the-back outlet pass to Gesell while falling out of bounds late in the first half. Gesell dribbled down to 15 feet and drilled a jumper that put Iowa ahead 36-14. Junior college transfer Trey Dickerson showed off his quickness with 5 minutes left, beating his defender off the dribble for a baseline scoop shot that gave Iowa a 73-42 lead.

UMBC: The Retrievers committed back-to-back shot clock violations in the first half. But UMBC did show some fight, following Iowa's 20-0 run with eight unanswered points. UMBC's home game with New Jersey Institute of Technology got a bit more interesting after NJIT stunned Michigan on Saturday.

UP NEXT

UMBC plays at Central Connecticut State on Wednesday.

Iowa hosts Alcorn State on Tuesday.

STAT LINES

Jarrod Uthoff had 11 points and six assists and Gesell had five points and seven assists for Iowa. Nine different Hawkeyes had steals, with Jok and White each getting three swipes. UMBC was just 19 of 57 from the floor, 4 of 19 from 3-point range and 5 of 10 from the line.

COURTSIDE

Olaseni said he plans to fly home to London next Saturday, the day after Iowa hosts rival Iowa State, to attend his father's funeral. Benson Olaseni died last month. ''I'm just trying to be a professional and understand that, regardless of the stuff that happens outside of basketball, you still have to produce.''

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