No. 23 Iowa shoots 68 percent, routs Illinois

[January 21, 2019]  Joe Wieskamp didn't miss a shot Sunday, going 8 for 8 from the field and 6 of 6 from 3-point range as No. 23 Iowa set a Carver-Hawkeye Arena record by hitting 68 percent of its field goal attempts in a 95-71 Big Ten rout of Illinois.

Wieskamp matched his season high of 24 points for Iowa (16-3, 5-3 Big Ten), which won its fifth straight game. Isaiah Moss scored 21 and dished out six assists, while Luka Garza added 20 points and Jordan Bohannon kicked in 10.

Freshman Ayo Dosunmu paced the Fighting Illini (5-13, 1-6) with 15 points, six assists and four rebounds. Trent Frazier added 12 points but made only 4 of 18 shots from the field, while freshman Giorgi Bezhanishvili and Aaron Jordan each scored 11.

The Hawkeyes went 34 of 50 from the field and an astounding 15 of 21 from the 3-point line, drawing assists on 29 buckets. Six different players finished with multiple assists, with Connor McCaffery doling out eight in just 21 minutes.

While Iowa couldn't miss, Illinois rarely made. The Illini hit only 39.1 percent from the field and were 11 of 32 on 3-pointers. They also coughed up 20 points off turnovers and 18 off the fast break.

The first half was marked by two things -- Illinois' inability to make shots and Iowa's efficiency on offense. The Illini never led in the half, undone by their 28.6 shooting percentage and allowing 14 points off eight turnovers.

Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts during the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

The Hawkeyes broke away from a 6-6 tie with 12 consecutive points over a span of 5:21, Wieskamp finishing the run with one of his four 3-pointers of the half at the 11:56 mark. The lead stayed in double figures for most of the final six minutes of the half.

Iowa closed the half with an 8-2 burst, getting a 3-point shot from Moss with five seconds left to take a 39-24 lead into the break. The Hawkeyes drained 13 of 19 field goal tries in the half, including a sizzling 5 of 6 from the 3-point arc.

--Field Level Media

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