Alabama State Hornets at Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa cruises to 92-58 win over Alabama State

Newcomer Luke Garza led Iowa's charge over Alabama State, scoring 11 points to go with 13 rebounds Sunday.

Though the freshman shot just 2 of 8 from the field, he added seven points from the free throw line on 11 attempts.

"I've just been doing that since I was a little kid. It's one of the things I pride myself on doing, going to the offensive glass," Garza said. "It's all about effort, especially on the boards. I've been taught that my whole life, by every single coach and all my family, and I just kind of am where the ball is."

Alabama State's Tobi Ewuosho and Branden Johnson struggled to keep their team in the game, notching 13 points apiece. Reginald Gee added 15 more for the Hornets (0-2).

Iowa freshman Connor McCaffery missed his second straight game with a sprained ankle, but he is expected to make his debut Thursday against Grambling State.

"He's making progress. I expect him back on Thursday," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said about his son. "It's not set yet He couldn't have played today as much as he wanted to, but he was in working hard, working the treadmill today, so we'll do some running tomorrow, then some shooting, then some cutting, We'll try to practice maybe Tuesday. If not, Wednesday."

THE BIG PICTURE

Iowa: The game gave the Hawkeyes a chance to showcase some of the depth they have on the bench, and those who came in after the starters performed well enough to continue out-scoring the Hornets.

Alabama State: After an 8-23 record last season, Alabama State has now lost its second consecutive game to start the season. The Hornets schedule will not get much easier over the next week, as they travel to South Dakota State and Oregon in the next five days.

SHARING IS CARING

Iowa had no trouble moving the ball around. The Hawkeyes combined for 25 assists throughout the game.

Forward Ahmad Wagner said the whole team has no problem spreading the wealth when it comes to scoring.

"I think it's that guys like getting assists just like they like scoring. Assists are a big part of the game," Wagner said. "All the guys, we love passing. It's a great group to play with, people who are like that."

KEY NUMBERS

More than half of Iowa's points came from the bench. Seven non-starters combined for 49 points.

. Alabama State turned the ball over 17 times and allowed the Hawkeyes to capitalize for 33 points off of those turnovers.

. The Hornets had most of their luck in the paint, putting up 36 of their 52 near the rim. Iowa just barely outperformed Alabama State in that category, scoring 38 in the paint.

UP NEXT

Iowa hosts Grambling State on Thursday.

Alabama State heads to South Dakota State to take on the Jackrabbits on Tuesday.

How can I watch Alabama State vs. Iowa?

• TV Channel: Alabama State at Iowa 2021 College Basketball, week 1, is broadcasted on .
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