• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Iowa snaps skid with win over Purdue

Mar 3, 2014 - 12:47 AM Iowa City, IA (SportsNetwork.com) - Roy Devyn Marble had 21 points and five assists to help No. 20 Iowa get back on track with an 83-76 victory over Purdue at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The Hawkeyes (20-9, 9-7 Big Ten) halted a three-game losing streak, though it didn't come easy. Purdue overcame a 13-point halftime deficit to lead 64-60 with 11:21 left to play before Iowa reversed the momentum with an 8-0 run and held on the rest of the way.

Aaron White and Mike Gesell each posted 15 points for the Hawkeyes, with White adding 10 rebounds in the win.

Raphael Davis finished with 18 points for Purdue (15-14, 5-11), while A.J. Hammons accumulated 16 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks in a losing cause.

Hammons' dunk off a Ronnie Johnson give put the Boilermakers up by four with 11:21 left, but the Boilermakers went scoreless over the next six-plus minutes as Iowa surged back in front. White's 3-pointer with 8:09 remaining gave the Hawkeyes a 65-64 edge, and he sank two free throws on the following possession prior to Marble going 1-of-2 from the line for a four-point lead with under six minutes to go.

Two Johnson free throws shortly afterward brought Purdue within one, but Josh Oglesby drained a clutch three on Iowa's next trip and Marble converted a 3- point play around a basket by the Boilermakers' Errick Peck. The successful bonus attempt had the Hawkeyes up 75-70 with 2:39 left.

"He's going to get the ball late," Iowa head coach Fran McCaffrey said of Marble. "I think he's the guy right now."

Marble later missed a jumper in the lane with Iowa ahead by three entering the final minute, with Davis drawing contact on the ensuing series and making the second of two free throws to trim the lead to 76-74 with 41.8 seconds showing. The Hawkeyes were able to stay on top by going 7-of-8 from the stripe over the duration, with Gesell's two foul shots with 14 seconds on the clock sealing the outcome at 81-76.

"It was a gut check, there's no question about that," McCaffery said. "We showed a lot of character."

Purdue trailed 50-37 at the break, but outscored Iowa 12-2 to begin the second half. Kendall Stephens netted six points during the surge, which he capped with a jumper that brought the Boilermakers within 52-49.

The Boilermakers kept charging, with Terone Johnson and Hammons each recording five points to lead a 13-3 spurt that put Iowa in a 64-60 hole

Iowa started off slowly, misfiring on nine of its first 11 shot attempts while down 9-7 early on, but got rolling in a big way later on in the opening half.

An 8-2 run highlighted by Jarrod Uthoff's driving baseline dunk staked the Hawkeyes to a 24-18 advantage with 8:35 left in the period, and the lead reached eight points just over two minutes later when White threw down a slam off a Marble steal for a 30-22 game.

"Turnovers were the key," said Purdue head coach Matt Painter, whose team committed 16 giveaways to the Hawkeyes' five. "We had some good looks at the basket, we just turned the ball over way too much."

A Peck 3-pointer just under four minutes prior to the intermission pulled Purdue within 35-32, but Iowa closed out the frame on a 15-5 surge to create some distance.

Marble capped off a 13-point half with a triple and short jumper to increase Iowa's margin to 48-37 with 40.8 seconds left, and Gesell fed Melshan Basabe for a transition layup at the buzzer to send the Hawkeyes into the locker room ahead by 13.

Game Notes

Iowa has registered back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 2004-05 and 2005-06 ... The Hawkeyes have now won 30 straight at home against unranked foes ... The game was the first between the schools where one team reached the 80-point mark since an 80-77 Purdue victory in overtime on Feb. 1, 2003 ... The Boilermakers are in the midst of a three-game stretch against ranked opponents, having lost to No. 16 Michigan on Wednesday and visiting No. 14 Wisconsin this coming Wednesday ... Stephens and Peck each ended with 12 points.