Uthoff leads Iowa past No. 20 Wichita State

By foxsports
Published

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) Iowa salvaged its final game at the AdvoCare Invitational with a strong offensive performance.

Jarrod Uthoff scored 22 points, Adam Woodbury had 15 and Iowa beat No. 20 Wichita State 84-62 in the seventh place game on Sunday.

Mike Gesell added 14 points for Iowa (4-2).

''I think we learned what we need to do to win,'' Gesell said.

Wichita State (2-4) got 14 from Eric Hamilton. Ron Baker, who entered averaging 20.2 points, was held to eight.

Both teams lost their first two games at the invitational.

Short-handed Wichita State played without forward Anton Grady, who was at an area hospital recovering from what doctors believe is a spinal cord concussion that happened during a collision with an Alabama player in Friday's game. Doctors found no signs of spinal cord trauma.

After the game, Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall said Grady will fly home with the team. The school said Grady was walking Sunday with assistance.

''Anton is in great spirits,'' Marshall said. ''His mom was there. I know that he's had some great care. I think we're out of the woods as far as his injury goes. Now it's just a matter of him rehabbing. What comes next after that, I don't know.''

The team visited Grady after practice on Saturday.

''We know he's going to make a full recovery,'' said Hamilton, who received a text message from Grady before the game. ''We're going to keep praying for him.''

Wichita State senior guard Fred VanVleet sat out all three games of the invitational with a hamstring injury.

Uthoff had 13 points as Iowa took a commanding 40-21 halftime lead. His layup gave the Hawkeyes a 38-16 advantage late in the half.

Woodbury had a 3-point play as part of an 11-0 stretch to start the second half that put Iowa ahead 51-21.

''I just try to play my game,'' Woodbury said. ''Anytime we win, I figured it's a good game for me.''

Anthony Clemmons and Nicholas Baer hit 3s during a 15-2 run that gave Iowa a 29-11 lead 14 minutes into the game.

Baker got his first points on a 3 to make it 31-16 with 5 minutes left in the opening half.

The first half ended when Wichita State's Ty Taylor II beat the buzzer with a leaping 3-pointer from just beyond mid-court.

TIP-INS

Iowa: The Hawkeyes are 116-36 against current members of the Missouri Valley Conference. It's the most games against a conference outside the Big Ten. ... Coach Fran McCaffery got his 100th win at the school.

Wichita State: The Shockers are also without freshman G Landry Shamet, who had surgery Wednesday for a stress fracture in his foot and is out until at least January. ... It's the first time the Shockers have gone 0-3 in a tourney under Marshall.

SCORERS

Uthoff had his third 20-point game this season and seventh overall. ... Baker made just 2 of 9 shots.

UP NEXT

Iowa: will host Florida State Tuesday night.

Wichita State: plays a road game Saturday night at St. Louis.