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Garza scores 24 to help No. 5 Iowa coast past Maryland 89-67
Iowa Maryland Basketball - AP Photo/Nick Wass

Garza scores 24 to help No. 5 Iowa coast past Maryland 89-67

COLLEGE PARK. Md. (AP) — Luka Garza scored 17 of his 24 points in the decisive first half, and No. 5 Iowa roared back from an early deficit by keeping Maryland scoreless for nearly eight minutes in an 89-67 victory Thursday night.

The Hawkeyes (10-2, 4-1 Big Ten) trailed 19-9 before rattling off 20 straight points to take control. Maryland went 0 for 11 with five turnovers in a span of 8:47 until Donta Scott hit a 3-pointer to end the dry spell.

The 6-foot-11 Garza then scored eight points — including a pair of three-point plays — during a 15-4 spurt that made it 44-26 at halftime.

Garza made nine of his 14 field goal attempts, including 2 of 4 from beyond the arc. He went 4 for 4 at the foul line, grabbed seven rebounds and had four assists.

Jordan Bohannon chipped in with 18 points for the Hawkeyes. Joe Wieskamp scored six to get within 11 points of 1,000 for his career.

Aaron Wiggins scored 17 for Maryland (6-6, 1-5), and Scott added 13.

The Terrapins had hopes of pulling off an upset after taking early leads of 6-0 and 17-7, but the lengthy shooting drought doomed them to their third straight loss and sixth in eight games.

Maryland opened the second half with an 8-2 run to get within 12 before a layup by Wieskamp and a 3-pointer by Garza sparked a 10-2 spree that made it 58-36 with 14:22 remaining.

Garza fulfilled his stature as the leading scorer in the nation (27.5 points per game) with another consistent effort in the lane and beyond the arc. He has scored at least 20 points in 19 successive Big Ten games, the longest such streak in more than three decades.

BIG PICTURE

Iowa: The Hawkeyes showed poise and patience on the offensive end after falling behind early, and played excellent defense while making up the deficit. Garza is the main reason why Iowa is a force, but the Hawkeyes’ discipline, depth and speed are also instrumental.

Maryland: It’s been a struggle for the Terrapins since they upset Wisconsin on Dec. 28. Their shooting is off, they’re a step behind on defense and simply don’t have the height to contend with an athletic big man such as Garza.

MASKED MAN

Terrapins senior guard Darryl Morsell returned from a one-game absence after fracturing a bone in his face when hit by an elbow against Michigan on Dec. 31. Wearing a protective mask, Morsell came off the bench to score three points in 22 minutes.

UP NEXT

Iowa: The Hawkeyes on Sunday host Minnesota, which beat Iowa 102-95 on Christmas Day.

Maryland: The Terrapins face another Big Ten powerhouse Sunday, No. 12 Illinois on the road.

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More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25