EditorsNote: update 2: fixes to "the Jaguars" in fifth graf
Senior center Luka Garza erupted for 36 of his 41 points in the first half on Friday as No. 5 Iowa led wire to wire in a 103-76 blowout of Southern in Iowa City.
A preseason national Player of the Year favorite, Garza made all 12 of his shots in the first half, including a pair of 3-pointers, and sank 10 of 12 free-throw attempts. His dominant effort enabled the Hawkeyes (2-0) to take a 58-35 halftime lead.
The commanding advantage was probably the reason Garza didn't finish with 50 or 60 points. He played only 10 minutes in the second half and attempted just three shots, hitting two, including his third 3-pointer of the day. Garza added nine rebounds and blocked three shots.
Iowa also got 16 points and seven rebounds from junior Joe Wieskamp. The Hawkeyes canned 54.8 percent of their field-goal tries, including 12 of 24 3-point attempts, and drew assists on 27 of their 34 baskets.
Ahsante Shivers led the Jaguars (0-2) with 13 points while Jayden Saddler added 12, Lamarcus Lee 11 and Damiree Burns 10. Southern connected on just 38.6 percent of its field-goal attempts and committed 16 turnovers that Iowa turned into 28 points.
Garza got things started with a 3-pointer 49 seconds into the game. He and Wieskamp combined for the Hawkeyes' first 19 points, though the Jaguars managed to stay competitive for about nine minutes, as Saddler's layup in transition slashed the deficit to 27-20.
Iowa finally pulled away with a 9-2 burst, capped by a Connor McCaffery jumper that upped the lead to 36-22 at the 7:49 mark. Garza's layup with 3:12 left in the half increased the advantage to 20, and he closed the half with another layup to put the Hawkeyes ahead by 23.
Iowa broke the 100-point mark on a Patrick McCaffery bucket with 1:50 remaining.
--Field Level Media
