The Sports Xchange
Nov 16, 2017
Freshman Jack Nunge had season highs with 17 points and seven rebounds and Iowa pulled away from pesky Grambling for a 85-74 victory on Thursday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
Isaiah Moss and Tyler Cook had 15 points apiece for the Hawkeyes (3-0), who took control with a 14-0 run midway through the second half to turn a three-point deficit into a 70-59 lead.
Nunge had two layups and a jumper during the run. His first layup gave the Hawkeyes a 61-59 lead, and his 3-pointer made it 75-62 with 2:49 remaining.
Luka Garza had 13 points and nine rebounds and Cook added seven rebounds to help the Hawkeyes to a 36-27 edge on the boards.
Forward Axel Mpoyo scored 21 points and guard Anthony Gaston had 16 points and four 3-pointers for Grambling (0-2), which was 10 of 24 from 3-point range.
Gaston's 3-pointer gave the Tigers a 59-56 lead with 10:58 remaining, but they went 6 1/2 minutes without scoring as the Hawkeyes pulled away.
Iowa guard Jordan Bohannon had 12 points and seven assists. He made 9 of 10 free throws, seven in the last 73 seconds.
The Hawkeyes shot 54.3 percent from the field and limited the Tigers to 42.6 percent. Nunge was 6 of 8, including 3 of 5 3-pointers. Garza was 6 of 9 from the floor.
Dionte Jones chipped in 13 points and Nigel Ribeiro had 12 for Grambling.
Iowa led 52-43 before Grambling went on a 16-4 run capped by Gaston's last three to take its 59-56 lead. Gaston and Ribeiro had five points and Mpoyo had four during the run.
Moss tied it with a 3-pointer and Nunge put the Hawkeyes ahead with a layup to start the decisive run.