Sixty-one points. Seriously, *sixty-one points* came off the bench for Iowa last night in their absolute demolishing of Eastern Illinois, a 91-47 runaway victory. That’s not a typo, folks. That’s a full-on masterclass in depth, and it led the Hawkeyes to a dominant win, moving them to 2-0 on the young season.
The Bench Mob Is Stacking Points
You gotta hand it to them. Peyton McCollum led the charge with 14 points, Ty’Reek Coleman dropped 13, and Tre Thompson added 11. These guys weren’t just filling minutes, they were straight-up taking over. The starters? Only Tate Sage hit double digits, putting up 10 points. That’s wild. It tells you everything about the kind of depth this Iowa squad is flexing early on. They’re not just relying on their first five, they’re getting serious production from the guys ready to step in.
An Offensive Juggernaut in the Making?
The Hawkeyes shot a ridiculous 33 of 52 overall, hitting 63% from the field, and absolutely draining 14 of 30 from downtown for 47%. Talk about efficiency! They snagged their first double-digit lead early, with Isaia Howard throwing down a dunk over 13 minutes before halftime to make it 20-10, and they never looked back. By halftime, it was 41-20. Then they came out and poured in 50 points in the second half, shooting an insane 65.4% (17 of 26). Eastern Illinois’ Tanner Vogel tried to make something happen with 11 points and 11 boards, but it just wasn’t enough against that kind of firepower. The Panthers are now 0-2.
What’s Next for the Hawkeyes
Iowa is already sitting pretty at 2-0, and they’ve got a killer home-state schedule ahead. They’ll play 15 of their first 17 games in their home state, with only two road trips before mid-January to Purdue and Xavier. That’s huge for building momentum and keeping the squad fresh. Up next, the Hawkeyes host Virginia Tech on Tuesday. If that bench keeps firing like this, Iowa is going to be a tough out for anyone coming into their house. Eastern Illinois, meanwhile, is still looking for their first win, heading to Notre Dame on Monday.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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