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IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Seton Hall no longer has star Isaiah Whitehead to lean on.
The Pirates have depth and balance though — and that was enough for them to pass their first road test of 2016-17.
Myles Powell scored 26 points off the bench, Desi Rodriguez had 25 and Seton Hall beat Iowa 91-83 on Thursday night.
Khadeen Carrington added 20 points for the Pirates (3-0), who shot 51 percent from the floor with eight 3s and outscored the Hawkeyes 50-24 in the paint.
"Our team will be much more balanced this year," said Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard after Whitehead left for the NBA.
Powell buried a 3 and followed by a layup to put Seton Hall up 82-74 with 3:15 to go — and then drilled another long 3 to make it a 10-point game a minute later. Rodriguez followed with a 3 that sent the fans to the exits.
Iowa made a few late 3s to make it close before falling for the first time in 2016-17.
Senior Peter Jok had 30 points and 11 rebounds for his first career double-double, and freshman Tyler Cook scored a career-high 24 points for the Hawkeyes (2-1).
"I would have liked to have seen us play better defense over the duration, especially in the second half. We tried defenses, we changed defenses; press, we went to zone. We just didn't perform to the level that's necessary," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said.
BIG PICTURE
Seton Hall: The Pirates should be a factor in the Big East. They started five upperclassmen who were unfazed by their first road game — although a 9 p.m. ET tip-off time on a week night kept the crowd down a bit. Seton Hall forced Iowa to commit 17 turnovers.
Iowa: Win or lose, a matchup against a tough, veteran team halfway through November was exactly what the Hawkeyes needed. McCaffery is still trying to find a rotation that can win in the Big Ten, using 11 players in the first half alone. But it looks like Jok has found a more than capable sidekick in Cook, who can seemingly do everything but knock down free throws.
NOT-SO FREE THROWS
Cook was a mess at the free-throw line, going just 5 of 12. But neither team could covert its freebies, as Seton Hall was 17 of 31 and Iowa was 19 of 32.
SMOKE SHOW
Iowa brought out two sets of pyrotechnics during its player introductions. The smoke lingered in the air for roughly half of the first half. But Iowa's other new wrinkles, including a new court, lighting and a massive new scoreboard over center court, has vastly improved the game-day experience at Carver-Hawkeye Arena — which had begun to show its age until recent renovations.
HE SAID IT
"There's not a time where he shoots the ball where I think it's not going in. He plays with a lot of confidence. He plays like I think all kids should play, just having fun," Willard said of Powell.
UP NEXT
Seton Hall's schedule doesn't let up much. The Pirates play Florida next Thursday and, if they win, likely Gonzaga on Thanksgiving.
Iowa gets another cupcake in Texas-Rio Grande Valley on Sunday. But the Hawkeyes will face No. 8 Virginia next Friday in Florida.
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More college basketball at www.collegebasketball.ap.org
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