Wieskamp scores 24, No. 23 Iowa routs Savannah State 110-64

Dec 22, 2018, 08:31 pm

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Once it became apparent that Savannah State posed no threat, Iowa seemed content to let Jordan Bohannon shoot his way out of a season-long slump.

Bohannon responded with his best game of the year -- a positive sign with the bulk of the Big Ten season just over a week away.

Joe Wieskamp scored a career-high 24 points, Bohannon had 18 on six 3s and the No. 23 Hawkeyes blew past Savannah State 110-64 on Saturday for their fourth straight victory.

"It was nice to see some go in," Bohannon said. "I think I needed it. I've been struggling with my confidence."

Tyler Cook scored 16 points in 17 minutes for the Hawkeyes (10-2). They played without center Luka Garza, who recently sprained his ankle. The injury isn't expected to be serious, but Iowa coach Fran McCaffery doesn't know when Garza will return.

"He's hurting, so we'll see," McCaffery said. "It's a matter of how he responds."

Iowa also was without backup point guard Connor McCaffery (concussion protocol), but none of that mattered against the overwhelmed Tigers (3-11).

The Hawkeyes needed just six minutes to jump ahead 29-8, and from there the game resembled a glorified workout. It was so noncompetitive that McCaffery put in a pair of walk-ons, Austin Ash and Michael Baer, midway through the first half with his team up 38-11.

Iowa had three runs of 10-0 or better in the first 12 minutes, and Ash's 3 made it 53-18. The Hawkeyes broke the 100-point mark on a Mashe Dailey 3 with 4:31 to go, and 11 different players scored.

Zach Sellers had 18 points for Savannah State, which has lost seven in a row.

THE BIG PICTURE

Iowa: The Hawkeyes have one more tuneup before Big Ten play resumes in 2019. Iowa, which is 0-2 in the league after losing at home to Wisconsin and on the road against Michigan State, opens at Purdue before hosting No. 25 Nebraska.

Savannah State: The Tigers entered play having shot 540 3s, by far the most in the country. But they connected on just 28.6 percent of those, which ranked 322nd out of 351 Division I teams. Savannah State was just 9 of 33 on 3s against Iowa.

BO'S STROKE

Bohannon had seen his 3-point percentage drop from 43 percent last year to 32.1, and his 9.5 points a game through 11 contests was a career low for the junior. Iowa had been largely able to survive it thanks to the emergence of Wieskamp and a career year from Cook, but having Bohannon as an outside threat should allow even more space in the paint for Cook -- and Garza when he returns. "He really spreads the floor, opens up a lot of things," Wieskamp said.

THE NUMBERS

Iowa's 110 points were a season high. The Hawkeyes had 105 in a victory over Alabama State on Nov. 21. ... Wieskamp was 8 of 10 shooting and 5 of 7 on 3s. ... Isaiah Moss had 15 points and six assists. ... Ash finished with nine points on 3 of 8 shooting on 3s. ... Iowa finished with 30 assists and six turnovers.

HE SAID IT

"That's what I want him to do. Keep firing," McCaffery said of Bohannon.

UP NEXT

Iowa hosts Bryant on Dec. 29.

Savannah State plays at Coppin State on Jan. 5.

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