Dec. 21, 2010

Box Score

IOWA CITY, Iowa - Junior forward Olu Ashaolu recorded his eighth double-double of the season, but the Louisiana Tech men's basketball team fell 77-58 Tuesday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The Hawkeyes never had a lead of more than eight points until the 7:57 mark of the second half. The Bulldogs (9-5) were plagued with 17 turnovers and were outscored 26-8 in points off turnovers.

"We have to take care of the basketball," said Tech head coach Kerry Rupp. "A lot of our turnovers led to easy baskets."

Ashaolu recorded 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting and 11 rebounds for his third-straight double-double.

"He was very good for us and did a great job of providing an inside presence," Rupp said.

Sophomore guard Brandon Gibson scored 13 points while senior guard DeAndre Brown added 11.

The Bulldogs shot 36.8 percent from the field while the Hawkeyes shot 43.9 percent. Freshmen Lonnie Smith and Kenyon McNeaill each hit two three-pointers, but for the most part, the Bulldogs were off target from beyond the arc as they shot 27.8 percent (5-18).

Tech up 14-12 before Iowa went on a 10-0 run to take a 22-14 lead. The Bulldogs then answered with an 11-3 scoring run of their own to tie the game at 25-25 with 5:19 remaining in the half. Ashaolu scored 10 points in the final 7:30 of the half as the Bulldogs trailed 35-34 at halftime.

Tech shot 31.3 percent from the field in the first half while Iowa shot 41.9. Ashaolu recorded a double-double in the first half alone with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The achilles heel for Tech all night was finishing around the rim and it continued in the second half. Iowa never trailed in the half and went ahead by 10 points, 59-49 with 7:57 remaining.

"We had some great looks inside and we rushed some shots," Rupp said. "We have to finish strong when have shots at point-blank range."

Ashaolu got into foul trouble and picked up his fifth foul with 3:50 remaining and Iowa leading 66-55. With the leading scorer on the bench, Tech scored just three points the rest of the contest. Iowa claimed its largest lead of the game, 20, with 1:05 to go and improved to 7-5 on the season.

Matt Gatens led Iowa with 22 points on 5-of-9 shooting from three-point range.

Louisiana Tech begins Western Athletic Conference play at Boise State on Dec. 29 at 9 p.m.