Iowa trounces UMKC 95-75

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) Iowa has always believed that sophomore Dom Uhl could become a star.

Uhl took a step in that direction Saturday, giving the Hawkeyes the best performance of his young career on the day Iowa lost fellow forward and key reserve Dale Jones.

Uhl notched his first career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds and Iowa trounced Missouri-Kansas City 95-75 on Saturday for its third straight win.

Nicholas Baer also had 14 for the Hawkeyes (6-2), who had five players score at least 10 points for the second game in a row.

Iowa is going to need more games like this from Uhl in the future.

Coach Fran McCaffery said after the game that Jones will need surgery on his right knee and is out for the season.

''He was spectacular,'' McCaffery said of Uhl. ''We needed it.''

Despite a sluggish start, Iowa had more than enough to overwhelm the Kangaroos. The Hawkeyes jumped ahead by 14 at halftime, and Brady Ellingson's 3 gave Iowa a 76-55 lead with just over 8 minutes left.

Martez Harrison had 15 points for UMKC (5-3). The Kangaroos had just 12 assists on 29 made baskets.

Iowa's last game was a thriller, as the Hawkeyes outlasted Florida State 78-75 in overtime Wednesday behind 24 points - and a game-deciding 3 - from Peter Jok.

For a few minutes, Iowa played as though it was still wiped out from that extra session.

But the Hawkeyes went on a 10-0 run after allowing UMKC to tie it at 13. Freshman forward Ahmad Wagner led the way with seven points in just five minutes - a promising sign as Iowa continues to search for someone beyond Uhl to eat up the minutes lost from Jones.

Still, Iowa's play had McCaffery flummoxed at times. But Anthony Clemmons hit a 3 to put Iowa ahead 37-25, and he followed with a nifty layup between two defenders to make 45-31 Iowa at the break.

Uhl in particular started so slowly that McCaffery considered benching him early on.

He didn't, and Uhl's play only got better from there on out.

''I was getting ready to yank him because I thought he wasn't quite ready. But he did fly to the glass,'' McCaffery said. ''His energy level was worth me leaving him in the game, and I left him in and he was spectacular.''

Clemmons and Jarrod Uthoff each had 13 points for Iowa.

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TIP-INS:

Iowa: This was the first meeting between the Hawkeyes and the Kangaroos. ...The Hawkeyes grabbed 16 offensive rebounds just a game after letting Florida State collect 19 offensive boards. ...Iowa got 53 points from its bench.

UMKC: The Kangaroos were picked fourth by the coaches in the preseason WAC poll. ...Harrison had a rough outing despite his scoring. Iowa's statistics showed that UMKC was minus-35 points when he was on the floor. ...UMKC beat Drake 79-73 last month. Iowa will play the Bulldogs in Des Moines in two weeks.

ON THE RISE

McCaffery used much of the game to give some of his younger guys extended playing time. Wagner had nine points and five rebounds in 17 minutes, and freshman guard Andrew Fleming had six points in just 10 minutes.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT

''I'm very disappointed for him. I love that kid, and he was really coming on,'' McCaffery said about Jones.

UP NEXT

UMKC heads to South Dakota State on Tuesday.

Iowa is home against Western Illinois on Monday.

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