Joe Wieskamp, Luka Garza lead dominating Iowa win over No. 14 Maryland

IOWA CITY, Ia. — The two best players inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Friday were both wearing Iowa Hawkeye white.

And it wasn't even close.

Hawkeye guard Joe Wieskamp and center Luka Garza nearly outscored the shell-shocked Maryland Terrapins by themselves to give Iowa a much-needed 67-49 victory. It was a determined effort by an Iowa team coming off back-to-back losses and playing again without starting shooting guard CJ Fredrick (stress reaction in left foot).

Wieskamp scored a career-high 26 points in a masterful wire-to-wire performance. He added 11 rebounds and four steals.

Garza, who has been consistently brilliant in his junior year, put up 21 points and 13 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season.

Iowa won easily despite 18 turnovers.

The Hawkeyes (11-5, 2-3 Big Ten Conference) struggled early with turnovers and missed shots. But they kept playing with great intensity, and it eventually paid off in a 19-2 run that saw Iowa take control.

Wieskamp, coming off a 1-for-10 shooting performance from the 3-point arc in Tuesday’s loss at Nebraska, had his best half as a Hawkeye. He played all 20 minutes, made 4 of 5 3-pointers and had 18 points, five rebounds and three steals at intermission.

Garza added 14 points and eight rebounds in the half.

Things got so fun for the Hawkeyes that junior forward Cordell Pemsl, left wide open at the right elbow, calmly drained his first career 3-pointer, much to the delight of a home crowd that endured rain and snow to travel to Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Iowa led 38-24 at halftime.

No. 14 Maryland (13-3, 3-2) was so flustered in the opening 20 minutes that it committed 12 turnovers, against only three assists. The Terrapins shot 7-for-23 from the field (30.4%) and even missed half of their 16 free-throw attempts. They went 8 minutes, 35 seconds between made field goals at one point. It was the fewest points they had scored in the first half this season.

Iowa, playing at home for just the third time in 32 days, was clearly delighted at the prospect. The Hawkeyes never led by less than 10 points in the second half.

Iowa next plays at Northwestern on Tuesday. Three more home games follow that.

Mark Emmert covers the Iowa Hawkeyes for the Register. Reach him at memmert@registermedia.com or 319-339-7367. Follow him on Twitter at @MarkEmmert.

No one covers the Hawkeyes like the Register. Subscribe today at Des Moines Register.com/Deal to make sure you never miss a moment.