Warhawks continue road stretch at Iowa on Tuesday

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The ULM men's basketball team returns to the road Tuesday, at it travels to Iowa to face the Hawkeyes. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

The Warhawks dropped their season opener, 86-67, last Friday at Texas Tech. Junior guard Fred Brown scored a game-high 25 points in Lubbock, including seven three-pointers. Junior center Fabio Ribeiro collected a career-best 10 rebounds against the Red Raiders with six Warahwks made their ULM debut at Texas Tech.

Iowa comes into Tuesday's contest 0-1 after falling in its season opener, 79-69, at home to South Dakota State this past Sunday.

Sophomore guard Eric May led the Hawkeyes with 20 points in the contest, while senior center Jarryd Cole added 17 in the defeat. Iowa's top returnee this season, junior guard Matt Gatens, has been out of action since suffering a hand injury on Oct. 26. Gatens averaged a team-best 12.3 ppg last season. Last season the Hawkeyes finished 10-22, 4-14 in the Big Ten (tied for ninth); Fran McCaffery is in his first season as the head coach at Iowa after leading Siena to three-straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference crowns.

This will be the fourth all-time meeting between ULM and Iowa; the Hawkeyes lead the all-time series, 2-1. The first two meetings between the programs both came in the NCAA Tournament. The first meeting took place on March 12, 1982, a 70-63 Iowa victory in Pullman, Wash., that contest was ULM's first-ever tournament appearance, ULM head coach Keith Richard was a senior on that team. The Warhawks and Hawkeyes met again in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 1993, an 82-69 Iowa victory.

 

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Hawkeyes return to action

Hawkeye coach Fran McCaffery doesn?t have a lot of time to teach.

Iowa lost its opener 79-69 to South Dakota State on Sunday afternoon and quickly return to the court at 7:35 p.m. today against Louisiana-Monroe (0-1).

?I would rather have more practice,? McCaffery said Sunday. ?We need as much time together as we possibly can have just to get comfortable with what we?re doing, how we?re doing it, why we?re doing it, and who?s doing it, what combination.?

The Hawkeyes were hurt by 18 turnovers Sunday. The Jackrabbits also hit 10 3-pointers at a 48 percent clip (10-of-21).

On the flip side, Eric May scored 20 points, Jarryd Cole had 17 points, and freshman Zach McCabe had 11 points and seven rebounds.

But with junior Matt Gatens out, several players slightly were out of position.

?We?re moving Eric May to the two spot, he was in the three spot,? McCaffery said. ?Zach played a good part of the pre-season in the four spot, now he?s playing the bulk of his minutes at the three spot. There was a big learning curve there for him in particular. ?

Gatens, out with a tendon injury in his left hand, is doubtful for tonight. The top returning scorer on a team that started two freshmen and two sophomores Sunday, Gatens was missed.

?We didn?t have that one offensive weapon that you would like to have taking some of the pressure off the other guys,? McCaffery said. ?It would have been nice to have him.?

Louisiana Monroe returns just one starter from last season and lost its opener Friday 86-67 to Texas Tech.

Iowa may be tested again guarding the 3-point shot. ULM hit 8-of-17 from the arc against Texas Tech.