IOWA CITY, Iowa – North Carolina Central University set the pace early on the road at Iowa, but the nationally-ranked Hawkeyes pulled away for a 97-67 victory in the 2020-21 season opener at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
 
NCCU (0-1) got off to a hot start as Jamir Moultrie (Washington, D.C.) scored the first six points of the new season for the Eagles on a pair of three-pointers.  The Eagles went on to shoot 52.9 percent from the floor (9-for-17) and 57.1 percent from the arc (4-for7) during the first 12 minutes, and led Iowa (1-0) 22-20 after a trey from C.J. Keyser (Baltimore, Md.).
 
The Eagles' hot streak came to an end shortly after that, and the hosts took their turn for the remainder of the half to grab a 44-29 lead at the intermission.
 
The Hawkeyes established their first-half advantage by shooting over 50 percent from the floor, and were led by Keegan Murray (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) with 17 points.  2020 National Player of the Year Luka Garza (Washington, D.C.) scored 16 of his game-high 26 points in the second half to help Iowa to a 97-67 win.  Garza added 10 rebounds as well for a double-double.
 
Nicolas Fennell (Bowie, Md.) had a strong start to the year with 12 points and seven rebounds, and Keyser put in a team-high 15 points.
 
The Eagles will have a short turnaround, as they'll hit the floor again in less than 24 hours against Southern on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26 at 4:00 p.m.