IOWA CITY, Iowa – Luka Garza had 26 points and 10 rebounds and No. 5 Iowa opened the season with a 97-67 victory over North Carolina Central on Wednesday.Garza, the Big Ten player of the year last season and the lone unanimous selection on the preseason AP All-America team, had his 17th consecutive game of 20 points or more.
The senior center had just four points in the first 10 1/2 minutes before the Hawkeyes took control with a 20-2 run near the end of the first half.
He had six of Iowa’s final nine points in the run.The Hawkeyes, with all five starters back from a team that was 20-11 last season, trailed for the first six minutes.Redshirt freshman forward Patrick McCaffery, the son of Iowa coach Fran McCaffery, had 16 points.