College basketball: Hawkeye players learn 'tough lesson'

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Just in time for Thanksgiving, the Iowa basketball team delivered a turkey Tuesday.

The intensity and energy that allowed the Hawkeyes to compete a day earlier against third-ranked Texas were absent from the start of a 74-57 loss to Wichita State in the consolation game at the CBE Classic.

“We came out with a different level of energy and pressure in the first half. We didn’t attack and it didn’t work,” center Brennan Cougill said. “It’s a tough lesson to learn.”

At the end of a string of five games in 10 days to open the season, Iowa finds itself with a 1-4 record that is the Hawkeyes’ worst since starting the 1929-30 season at 1-6.

Coach Todd Lickliter had been satisfied with his team’s game-to-game progress before it took the court at the Sprint Center. That ended as he watched the Shockers sink 56.6 percent of their shots against an Iowa team that had nearly twice as many turnovers as assists (13-7).

“Our level of execution was not where it needed to be to compete at this level,” Lickliter said.

“We expect a high degree of effectiveness and that wasn’t there.”

Three freshmen combined for 38 points for the Hawkeyes, an effort led by Cully Payne’s 18-point game and an 11-point effort from Cougill.

Payne wasn’t satisfied.

“We struggled the first half and even though we came out hard after the break, it is tough rallying from behind like that,” he said.

Iowa trailed by 16 points early in the second half and cut the Wichita State lead to 55-48 on a basket by Cougill with 11 minutes, 16 seconds remaining.

But, Payne missed the front end of a 1-and-1 opportunity 24 seconds later and the Shockers (3-1) went on a 17-5 run that sealed the win.

“Our offense was clicking on all cylinders and a lot of that had to do with having our playmaker back on the floor,” Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall said.

Clevin Hannah, who completed a three-game NCAA suspension Monday, returned to dish out six assists in the first half as Wichita State took control.

Three went to Garrett Stutz, a 7-foot sophomore who had scored in double figures on just two previous occasions in his collegiate career but torched Iowa for 16 first-half points.

Playing in his hometown, Stutz finished with 18 points, but it was his 7-of-8 effort in the first half that included a pair of 3-pointers that left the Hawkeyes staring at a 44-30 deficit at the half.

“We knew he could shoot it. We just didn’t deal with it,” Lickliter said. “It was a tough night.”

Wichita State 74, Iowa 57

WICHITA ST. (3-1) — Ellis 1-2 0-0 2, Durley 3-5 0-0 6, Hannah 2-6 0-0 5, Hatch 4-6 3-4 14, Murry 7-14 0-1 18, Manigault 0-0 0-0 0, Williams 2-3 0-1 5, Kyles 1-1 0-0 2, Brown 0-0 0-0 0, Blair 2-4 0-0 4, Mayes 0-0 0-0 0, Stutz 8-12 0-0 18. Totals 30-53 3-6 74.

IOWA (1-4) — Cougill 4-6 2-2 11, Cole 2-3 0-0 4, Tucker 2-6 2-4 7, Payne 5-7 6-7 18, Gatens 3-8 2-3 8, Bawinkel 0-0 0-0 0, May 2-7 4-4 9. Totals 18-37 16-20 57.

Halftime—Wichita St. 44-30. 3-Point Goals—Wichita St. 11-21 (Murry 4-7, Hatch 3-4, Stutz 2-4, Williams 1-2, Hannah 1-4), Iowa 5-18 (Payne 2-2, Cougill 1-3, Tucker 1-4, May 1-6, Cole 0-1, Gatens 0-2). Rebounds—Wichita St. 27 (Blair 6), Iowa 21 (Cougill, May 4). Assists—Wichita St. 16 (Hannah 6), Iowa 7 (Payne 4). Total Fouls—Wichita St. 18, Iowa 12.

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