LONDON — The University of Iowa men’s basketball team topped the century mark for the second consecutive contest Wednesday night, this time dropping the London Lions 107-72 in front of a capacity crowd of over 6,000 at the Copper Box. Iowa defeated the Lions, 102-58 yesterday.
Once again, it was the Hawkeyes jumping out to an early advantage, leading by as many as 11 points in the first quarter. The Lions closed the period on a 6-0 run to cut the Iowa lead to 28-19. Josh Oglesby provided the early spark for the Black and Gold, scoring six of his 17 points in the first 10 minutes. The sophomore scored 15 of his 17 points via the long ball, draining five 3-pointers.
The Lions made another charge at the Hawkeyes in the second quarter, going on a 9-0 surge to close to within 39-36. However, Peter Jok scored six of his team’s final 10 points during a 10-2 run to end the first half. For the second straight night, Jok led all scorers with 18 points.
The second half was all Hawkeyes after opening the second stanza on an 11-2 run to extend their advantage to 21 points and never looked back. Iowa outscored the Lions 68-35 the final 20 minutes.
London native Gabriel Olaseni had a nice game finishing with 14 points, including a couple thunderous dunks in front of family and friends. Seniors Melsahn Basabe and Roy Devyn Marble contributed 12 points and six points tonight, respectively, while junior Aaron White tallied 16 points, 11 in the second half. Sophomore Adam Woodbury chipped in eight.
“Once Gabe settled down after making a couple early mistakes, he became a dominate player,” said head coach Fran McCaffery. “It was great to see him get confidence as the game went on and I’m thrilled for him that he was able to do it in this atmosphere.”
“This meant everything to me,” said Olaseni. “I couldn’t have dreamed for a better atmosphere. Every time I stepped off the court all I could think about was my teammates and family. I’m forever grateful to the coaching staff for giving me an opportunity to play here.”
The Hawkeyes will have an early departure for France tomorrow, as the team leaves for Paris via train at 8:30 a.m. local time. Iowa returns to the court Friday when it plays the AMW All Stars at 1:30 p.m. (CT)
