Iowa Basketball: Takeaways from dominant win over Western Illinois

Iowa basketball defeated Western Illinois by a final score of 99-58. Here are the biggest takeaways from the Hawkeyes’ dominant win.

The No. 3 ranked Iowa Hawkeyes are 3-0 after showing no mercy against the Western Illinois Leathernecks on Thursday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The Hawkeyes started slow, but quickly pulled away late in the first half. Luke Garza had another typical Luka Garza performance, and Jordan Bohannon improved his standing in the record books. Takeaways from Iowa’s win below:

• For the second straight game, Garza scored 30 points in the first half. Garza finished with 35 points (13-of-21 shooting) and 10 rebounds. It’s his 19th straight game with at least 20 points. It’s hard to argue against him being the favorite for the Naismith Player of the Year. Just give him the award now.
• Speaking of Garza, he’s scored 102 points while shooting 76 percent in three games this season. The only Division 1 player in the last 25 years to score 100-plus points on at least 75 percent shooting in a three-game span is Shaquille O’Neal in 1996.
• Bohannon can do more than just shoot threes. The Hawkeyes’ all-time 3-point scorer passed B.J. Armstrong for fifth-most assists in program history on Thursday night. He’s a true point guard and his presence will be immense against much tougher competition.
• What a night from Jack Nunge. Less than a week after his father passed away, Nunge returned to action and scored a career-high 18 points in his season debut. He was Iowa’s second-leading scorer. Well done, young man.
• Keegan Murray continues to impress. The true freshman only recorded five points, three of which came from the free throw line, but his effort on the defensive end of the floor is what’s eye opening. His effort really stood out when he dove for a loose ball and successfully called a timeout midway through the second half.
• The Hawkeyes have no shortage of scorers. They’ve reached at least 97 points in every game this season. Four players reached double digits on Thursday.

Up next: the Hawkeyes host No. 14 North Carolina on Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 6:35 on ESPN in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.