Iowa’s matchup with William Jewell on Oct. 27 in Carver-Hawkeye was only an exhibition game, but it was close for a while.
The Hawkeyes trailed by 1 at halftime, but they ended up picking up the win after a solid second half, 105-81.
From the moment he got in, freshman Jack Nunge stole the show. He had a great first game in Carver, putting in 16 points on 6-of-6 shooting from the field and grabbing 9 rebounds in 17 minutes of play.
He also knocked down three shots from behind the arc.
His performance showed why there is so much buzz around him and fellow 6-11 freshman Luka Garza.
“Obviously, I want to make every shot that I shoot,” Nunge said. “Coming out here and making 6-for-6 in the first exhibition game, I think that’s a huge confidence builder going toward the season and the first game.”
Garza had himself a game as well, recording his first start as a Hawkeye in his new home arena. The Washington D.C. native dropped in 17 points to go along with 9 rebounds.
But after showing what they could do in practice and during Iowa’s trip to Europe in the off-season, the rest of the team was not shocked at all.
“Jack and Luka were phenomenal tonight, but it’s not a surprise,” head coach Fran McCaffery said. “They’ve been great since the minute they arrived at Iowa, and they were terrific in high school. They both have very mature games and tremendous versatility. With their length, they are able to rebound and defend very well. I couldn’t be more proud of those two guys.”
While the offense’s potential was apparent, the defense was a concern for much of the game. That’s a scary thought for Iowa, because poor defense led to a bad stretch for the Hawkeyes last season that was capped by a loss to Nebraska-Omaha.
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There were moments when the defense looked solid, especially when McCaffery employed a full-court press. However, William Jewell was still able to find a rhythm.
The Cardinals knocked down 10 3-pointers on their way to putting up a respectable 81 points on a team widely expected to make the NCAA Tournament.
When Iowa got its defense going in the second half, however, it took off, going on run after run and making the lead insurmountable.
“We played a little bit of defense finally, and we communicated a little better,” point guard Jordan Bohannon said about the changes made in the second half. “That was something we keyed in on at halftime … I think we did a pretty good job on the defensive end moving forward from that first half.”
Iowa had a lot of players on offense who helped propel it to the win.
Along with Nunge and Garza, Bohannon and Tyler Cook led the way for the Hawkeyes, dropping 19 and 16, respectively.
Iowa did it all on the offensive end, punching it into the paint and knocking down 3-point bombs along the way.
The Hawkeyes made getting the ball inside a priority, and 46 percent of their points come from paint.
With a combination as lethal as Bohannon and Brady Ellingson from outside the arc, Iowa made its share of treys, knocking down 9.
The most telling moment of the duos’ ability came in the second half when they put on their best Splash Brothers impression, hitting 3s on back-to-back possessions.
Trailing by 2, that sequence sparked Iowa’s run, and it never trailed again.
With the win, the Hawkeyes are now 1-0 in exhibition games,not that anybody keeps track. While the game might not count toward their record, it’s a step in the right direction and can help Iowa clean up its game before the regular season begins.
“There were some mistakes that have to be corrected,” McCaffery said. “That’s what this game is for. You learn that, and it doesn’t happen when the games count.”