Gonzaga rolls past Iowa with 87-68 win
Gonzaga 87, Iowa 68: Kyle Wiltjer authored a sizzling shooting display en route to 24 points as the Gonzaga Bulldogs rolled past the Iowa Hawkeyes in the NCAA Tournament’s round of 32 in Seattle.
Wiltjer made 10-of-12 shots and drained 4-of-6 from outside the arc as No. 2 seed Gonzaga (34-2) advanced to Friday’s matchup with No. 11 seed UCLA in Houston. Domantas Sabonis added 18 points and nine rebounds, Wiltjer grabbed seven boards and Kevin Pangos knocked down 4-of-7 from long range en route to 16 points.
Seventh-seeded Iowa (22-12) was arguably the most impressive team in the round of 64, throttling Davidson by 31 points before getting humbled by Gonzaga, which shot 61.5 percent from the field and 62.5 percent from the arc (10-of-16). Jarrod Uthoff had 20 points and eight rebounds for the Hawkeyes, while Aaron White contributed 19 points.
Gonzaga made 14 of its first 19 shots from the field and started 5-of-6 from 3-point range on its way to a commanding 46-29 advantage at halftime. The Bulldogs shot 62.1 percent in the first half - 7-of-10 from the arc - with Wiltjer leading the way at 5-of-5 from the field and 3-of-3 from long range for 13 points.
The key stretch of the first half came when Gonzaga turned an 18-15 lead into a 34-19 advantage thanks to six points from Sabonis and one 3-pointer apiece from Pangos and Wiltjer. The Hawkeyes got their deficit down to 11 three times in the second half, but they went nearly six minutes without a field goal midway through the session and never recovered.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Gonzaga had gone 1-1 in the NCAA Tournament in each of the previous five years, not reaching the Sweet 16 since 2009. Iowa, meanwhile, still has not advanced to the regional semifinals since 2009. … White, who entered averaging a team-high 7.5 rebounds, only had one board as the Hawkeyes lost the rebound battle, 34-22. … Gary Bell Jr. chipped in 10 points for the Bulldogs, while Przemek Karnowski added nine points, four rebounds, four assists and a pair of blocks.
