Following Iowa basketball’s (4-0) dominant 99-70 win over Southeast Missouri State (1-4) on Tuesday night from Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Hawkeyes senior guard Brendan Hausen and junior forward Alvaro Folgueiras spoke to the media about their performance against the Redhawks.
Eleven different Hawkeyes scored in the game and four finished in double-figures, including Folgueiras’ team-high 16 points.
“That’s the beauty of this team. I think everybody has the capability to come in and really get going, and we’re a really deep team.
“So on any given night, anybody can get it going, and that’s what you need going into the Big Ten. You need a deep lineup and guys that can play a lot of minutes. So I think that, tonight was just a night where a lot of guys got to get going and it ultimately worked out,” Hausen said.
Folgueiras discussed his ability to be a spark-plug off the bench for the Hawkeyes.
“I just go (out) there and play. It’s that easy.
“Coach makes me feel important and I’m trying to answer to his confidence every time I’m on the court. I don’t care if I start the game on the bench, in my house, back in Spain, or wherever he wants. If I play 25 minutes, I’m okay. If I play zero and the team wins, I’m going to be okay, too,” Folgueiras said.
The 6-foot-10, 230-pound forward finished 4-for-6 shooting from the field, 3-for-5 from 3-point range, and 5-for-6 from the free-throw line. The junior Spaniard also recorded five rebounds and one assist in 25 minutes of action.
Hausen and Folgueiras combined for six of Iowa’s 10 made 3-pointers against Southeast Missouri State. Hausen discussed the duo’s ability to stretch and space the floor.
“Yeah, I mean, like Coach said, when he was putting this all together, he wanted shooting. Any night that we’re all on the floor, teams have to pick what they want to take away, and ultimately, it’s their choice. So, you know, Bennett (Stirtz) can get it going, How (Isiah Howard) can get it going, Coop (Cooper Koch) can get it going, Tate (Sage), or myself.
“You pick where you want to tag from, what you want to take away, but we move the ball so well, and it’s something we take pride in every single day. It’s finding the open guy, getting two on the ball and moving it. So, I mean, anytime you can do that, you’re going to have good shooting nights,” Hausen said.
Iowa returns to action against Chicago State (0-5) from Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Thursday night at 6 p.m. CT to close out its five-game season-opening home stand.
Thursday night’s game will stream exclusively on B1G+ (subscription required).
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa basketball stars share postgame comments on win vs. SEMO
Reporting by Scout Springgate, Hawkeyes Wire / Hawkeyes Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
