Cook, Hawkeyes cruise past Drake 90-64

DES MOINES, Iowa -- It took over a month. But the Iowa team most expected to see all season finally showed up in Des Moines.

Tyler Cook scored 23 points, Jordan Bohannon had 15 with seven assists and Iowa cruised past Drake 90-64 on Saturday, its sixth straight win over the rival Bulldogs.

Nicholas Baer scored 11 points with 14 rebounds, five steals and five assists for the Hawkeyes (6-6), who climbed back to .500 despite a recent stretch of six losses in seven games.

"Obviously we needed one of these games to kind of let ourselves know that everything is OK," Bohannon said. "I can honestly say a lot of it starts with me trying to get the team motivated. I want people to keep looking at me to pick the team up."

Iowa used a 13-0 run late in the first half to jump ahead 40-33.

It was a sign of things to come.

The Hawkeyes outscored Drake 19-9 to start the second half, a run capped by a Bohannon 3 that put them ahead 59-42. Iowa rolled from there in its most dominant performance of the season.

The Hawkeyes outscored the smaller Bulldogs 52-26 in the paint and shot 55 percent from the field.

"I think it was the best collective effort. We just really haven't put it together until today. This is a team (Drake) that's really impressed me," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. "For us to be able to play the way we did is certainly a big step for us. Anything short of that, we have a hard time beating this team.

Nick McGlynn scored 14 points to lead Drake (5-6), which has dropped five of its last six games. Star Reed Timmer was held to 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting, and the Bulldogs had 19 turnovers.

"Disappointed in how we played. It's a really tough matchup for us physically. I felt like we really didn't give ourselves a chance with the turnovers," Drake coach Niko Medved said.

THE BIG PICTURE

Iowa: This was Iowa's best win yet -- although that's more of an indictment of the Hawkeyes' start than anything else. The Hawkeyes used their huge edge in size to their advantage and, for once, imposed their will on a decent opponent. The Iowa that showed up in its state capital could win some games in the Big Ten.

Drake: The team that nearly beat Minnesota in Minneapolis was nowhere to be found. The Bulldogs couldn't find an answer to Iowa's size, and they were outscored 50-31 in the second half. Drake will look to rebuild its momentum with Valley play starting in just under two weeks.

THE BAER CAGE

Baer loves playing at Wells Fargo Arena against Drake. Two years ago he had 13 points, seven rebounds and six blocked shots, and on Saturday he became the first Iowa player with more than 13 rebounds, four assists and four steals in a game since Reggie Evans did it against Missouri on Dec. 16, 2000. "When he's playing like that we're a different team," McCaffery said.

PEMSL'S BACK

Cordell Pemsl, who missed Sunday's win over Southern after cutting his leg late in last week's loss to Iowa State, returned to action with six points and eight rebounds. Pemsl also notched his first career dunk in the second half.

KEY NUMBERS

Iowa outrebounded Drake 41-24. ... This was a sloppy one, with 14 turnovers by the Hawkeyes -- including six by Cook. ... The Bulldogs were just 3 of 14 on 3s in the second half. ... Luka Garza had 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench for Iowa.

UP NEXT

Iowa: Hosts Southern Utah on Tuesday.

Drake: Plays at South Dakota State on Tuesday.