Freshman Jaidyn Coon scored 12 points in his collegiate debut and Ty’Reek Coleman added 10 to boost Iowa to a 76-54 season-opening victory against Lipscomb on Tuesday in Iowa City.
Iowa navigated a 14-for-28 effort from the free-throw line and 24% 3-point shooting to roll past the Bisons.
Takai Simpkins scored a game-high 18 points to pace Lipscomb while Devyn Martin chipped in 11 points.
Trevin Jirak pulled down seven boards to help Iowa finish with a 41-33 advantage on the glass. Coon and Coleman added six rebounds apiece. Martin had seven rebounds for the Bisons.
Cooper Koch and Tate Sage contributed nine points apiece for the Hawkeyes.
After taking an 86-79 loss at Southeast Missouri State on Monday, Lipscomb (0-2) strayed far from striking distance against Iowa other than a spurt late in the first half.
Iowa (1-0) overcame sluggishness in spots to lead by as many as 27 points.
Lipscomb connected on just 2 of 10 attempts from long range in the first half, but both came during a 13-0 run that gave the Bisons their lone lead of the night.
Simpkins capped the surge with a go-ahead trey that put Lipscomb ahead 27-26 with 4:43 remaining in the first half.
Iowa reclaimed the advantage with a pair of Coleman free throws 15 seconds later to open a 12-2 run that sent the Hawkeyes into the locker room with a 38-29 edge.
Koch closed the run with a 3-pointer. He shot 3-for-4 from long distance in the first half compared to 1-for-10 for the rest of the team.
Simpkins led all scorers with 13 points at the break.
Hawkeyes center Andrew McKeever, a 7-foot-3 Saint Mary’s transfer, took part in pregame warmups but did not play due to injury.
Iowa won its 15th consecutive season opener while improving to 5-1 against schools currently competing in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
–Field Level Media
