Iowa men’s hoops topples SIUE in season-opener

The Hawkeyes had no trouble kicking off their season with a victory over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville on Friday.

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Shivansh Ahuja

Iowa center Luka Garza goes for a layup during a men’s basketball game between Iowa and SIUE at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Friday, Nov. 8, 2019.

Pete Ruden, Pregame Editor

The Iowa men’s basketball handled its business in its season opener against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville on Friday, beating the Cougars 87-60.

Picking up the win didn’t seem like a difficult thing for the Hawkeyes to pull off with Luka Garza inside.

Garza led Iowa from the jump, dropping 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting to go along with 12 rebounds for a double-double in his first opportunity.

Jordan Bohannon also made his presence felt in Carver-Hawkeye, draining his first shot attempt of the season on a 3-pointer from the left corner with 3:55 remaining in the first.

Bohannon’s status was up in the air entering the season, so the bucket proved to be a welcomed sight for Hawkeye fans, as the arena erupted with a loud pop as the ball fell through the nylon. He ended the night with nine points and four assists.

After getting out to a lead after the first half, Iowa turned it on in the second.

The Hawkeyes outscored the Cougars 49-34 in the final 20 minutes, as Garza continued his strong performance and Joe Wieskamp added to his.

Wieskamp finished with 16 points, four rebounds, two assists, and drained three 3-pointers.

Freshman guard Joe Toussaint also impressed in his first college action, posting nine points on 3-of-5 shooting, which included two 3’s on three attempts.

Next, the Hawkeyes will take on a 3-0 DePaul squad in the Gavitt Games at Carver-Hawkeye on Nov. 11.