Iowa Basketball: Garza dominates in Hawkeyes’ win over Southern

Iowa basketball defeated Southern by a final score of 103-76 in yet another dominant performance from Luka Garza.

The No. 5 Iowa Hawkeyes (2-0) won their second game of the season on Friday in a 103-76 win over Southern University. It was another lights-out performance from standout center Luka Garza, who’s lived up to the hype through two games.

Garza led all scorers with 41 points on 14-of-15 shooting in 29 minutes played. The favorite to win the Naismith Award also added in nine rebounds and hit on all three of his 3-point attempts.

But that wasn’t the biggest story. Garza was virtually unstoppable in the first half, racking up 36 points on 12-of-12 shooting. Iowa’s offense kept feeding him the ball, as the Hawkeyes’ other four starters tallied 21 assists.

There really isn’t anything Garza can’t do. He’s unstoppable in the paint, he can shoot the three, he’s not afraid to box out, and most importantly, he plays hard on the defensive end.

Garza is proving to be the best player in the country once again this season, as evidenced by his first two outings. Through two games, Garza has converted on 24-of-29 of his field goal attempts (86 percent) for a total of 67 points.

Overall, the Hawkeyes have outscored their first two opponents 200-140. Joe Wieskamp has proven to be the Hawkeyes’ second best scorer. Wieskamp shot 67 percent from the 3-point arc against Southern (4-of-6) and finished with 16 points.

The Hawkeyes have yet to be tested this season, but that doesn’t mean the competition won’t get better. Iowa is scheduled to play No. 16 North Carolina on Dec. 8 and No. 1 Gonzaga on Dec. 19.

Iowa is set to host Western Illinois next Thursday, Dec. 3, at Carver Hawkeye Arena. Tip off is scheduled for 7:00 pm CT.