EAST LANSING, Mich. – – Joe Wieskamp and Jake Nunge led a balanced and efficient offensive attack as the 15th-ranked University of Iowa men’s basketball team scored a dominating 88-58 victory at Michigan State on Saturday afternoon inside the Breslin Center. The win improves the Hawkeyes to 15-6 overall and 9-5 in Big Ten play.
The season sweep of the Spartans is the first for Iowa since 2015 and it marks just the fourth Hawkeye win in 27 games at the Breslin Center. The 30-point win is Iowa’s largest margin of victory ever in games played in East Lansing, and Iowa’s 88 points are the most points scored at Michigan State since 1993 (96-90 OT).
Nunge matched his career-high for the fourth time with 18 points, hitting 7-of-11 field goal attempts (1-of-2 treys) and all three free throws. He added a career-best 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season and second of his career and added a career-high six assists in 26 minutes.
Wieskamp collected five 3-point field goals, marking the seventh time in nine games he has made three 3-pointers or more. He has made a season-best five three-pointers in four games. Weiskamp ended the afternoon with 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Junior Connor McCaffery added a career-best four treys while scoring a season-best 16 points, making 6-of-8 field goal attempts.
The Iowa defense also played well in limiting the Spartans to 58 points. Michigan State shot just 35.5 percent from the field (6-of-21 treys) and made 8-of-16 free throws. Iowa held a 46-37 rebounding advantage and Michigan State was held to 12 fast-break points and 13 second-chance points.
Michigan State scored the first four points of the game before Garza got the Hawkeyes on the board with an offensive put back and free throw. A 3-pointer by Keagan Murray tied the game at six before Jordan Bohannon’s trey gave Iowa a 9-7 advantage.
Shooting accuracy was a key for Iowa in the first half as the Hawkeyes shot 53.3 percent from the field (16-of-30), 61.5 percent from 3-point range (8-of-13), while adding 6-of-9 free throws. The Hawkeyes connected on five of their first seven 3-point attempts and seven of their first 10. A Wieskamp trey gave Iowa a 26-13 advantage with 11:49 remaining in the half.
Seven Hawkeyes scored and five players connected on at least one 3-pointer in the opening half. Nunge contributed seven points and six rebounds in 12 first-half minutes.
The Spartans scored the first four points of the second half as well before Weiskamp took over. Weiskamp hit consecutive treys after Iowa had missed it first four field goal attempts of the half. Nunge added a conventional three-point play and Connor McCaffery hit a 3-pointer to expand the margin to 58-31 with just over 15 minutes to play.
The Hawkeyes recorded 24 assists on their 32 made field goals and were guilty of just five turnovers. Senior All-American center Luka Garza and Murray each scored eight points, with Garza adding eight rebounds in just over 23 minutes of action.
Iowa’s next contest will be at Wisconsin on Thursday. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. (CT) at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
