Marble credits Carver-Hawkeye crowd for victory over Cyclones
Iowa's Devyn Marble drives against Iowa State
IOWA CITY, Ia. – Carver-Hawkeye Arena was usually sold out when Roy Marble played basketball for Iowa.
It’s only been on rare occasions that Marble’s son, Devyn, has played in the same atmosphere. But Friday was one of them.
Carver-Hawkeye Arena’s announced attendance was 15,127, and Devyn Marble said it played a role in Iowa’s 80-71 victory (boxscore).
“It really helps out a lot,” Marble said. “When you play in front of a lot of people, especially the home crowd, you’re playing for them also. You’re playing for the people you represent. It always helps. I think that’s what pushed us through (Friday).”
Iowa finished the second half better than the first half, and improved to 8-2 because of it.
The Hawkeyes had a 31-21 lead with just over 3 minutes remaining in the first half. But Iowa State ended wi
th a 15-4 run to take a 36-35 lead into halftime. Iowa responded with an 8-0 run to start the second half and never trailed again.
“We just stayed aggressive,” Marble said. “We played good defense, and did a good job of limiting them to just one shot.”
Iowa became the first team to outrebound the Cyclones this season. The Hawkeyes’ 37-35 margin, against an Iowa State team that entered the game sixth nationally in rebound margin, led to a 15-12 advantage in points off turnovers.
Five of the Hawkeyes’ previous six foes had outscored Iowa in second-chance points. For the season, Iowa State had a 67-point advantage in second-chance points. The Hawkeyes were just a plus two.
Three-point shooting was also an area of concern for Iowa entering the game. The Hawkeyes were 2-for-16 from deep range in its previous game, against South Dakota … and they were 1-for-11 in the first half Friday.
But two big threes by Josh Oglesby, the first on a set out-of-bounds play, the second with 10:20 remaining, gave Iowa a bulge on the scoreboard it nursed to the finish line.
Iowa is off for final exams, and won’t play again until it meets Northern Iowa Dec. 15 in the Hy-Vee Big Four Classic at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
“This was a quality win for us,” Marble said, “more than just beating an in-state rival.”
Category: Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball
