IOWA CITY, Iowa (Interstat) — The Iowa Hawkeyes used a dominant first-half performance and a career-high scoring night from Bennett Stirtz to defeat the Western Illinois Leathernecks 77-58 in a non-conference men’s basketball game Friday night at a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

A crowd of 10,978 watched the Hawkeyes improve to 2-0 on the young season, while the Leathernecks fell to 0-2.

The game was decided in the opening period, as Iowa built a commanding lead that Western Illinois could not overcome. The Hawkeyes raced out to a 41-33 halftime advantage, showcasing an efficient offense that consistently found open shots and a disruptive defense that forced numerous Leatherneck turnovers.

Stirtz was the engine of the Iowa attack, orchestrating the offense with precision and scoring from all levels. The guard finished with a game-high 24 points and dished out seven assists in 40 minutes of action, controlling the tempo whenever he was on the floor. His backcourt partner, Isaia Howard, added eight points and four assists, providing a steady secondary ball-handling presence.

The Hawkeyes’ offensive firepower was on full display early. After Western Illinois’s Tyran Cook opened the scoring with a jump shot, Iowa responded with a 10-2 run, capped by a Cooper Koch layup off a Stirtz assist, to take a lead they would not relinquish. Stirtz was instrumental in the run, assisting on a 3-pointer by Howard and later hitting one of his own.

While Western Illinois’s Isaiah Griffin kept his team within striking distance with his own scoring outburst, finishing with 21 points, the Leathernecks struggled to string together stops. Every time they threatened, Iowa had an answer, often from Stirtz or their versatile big man, Alvaro Folgueiras.

Folgueiras, a 6-foot-10 forward from Malaga, Spain, was a force on both ends of the floor. He recorded 13 points, five rebounds, five assists and a block, demonstrating a unique blend of size and skill. His steal and subsequent dunk in the first half pushed the Iowa lead to 17-8, forcing an early Western Illinois timeout.

The Hawkeyes’ lead ballooned to as many as 19 points in the second half as they methodically pulled away. The Leathernecks, to their credit, continued to fight, with Griffin leading the charge and Antwaun Massey contributing eight points, four rebounds and a block. Cook also reached double figures with 10 points. However, they could not consistently crack an Iowa defense that tightened as the game progressed.

Iowa’s depth was also a factor. Koch and Kael Combs each provided eight and seven points, respectively, off the bench, while Cam Manyawu added four points, four rebounds and a block in just 11 minutes of play.

Western Illinois, coming off a five-point loss at Radford on Monday, now looks ahead to a road game at Cal State Bakersfield on Tuesday. Iowa, which opened its season with a 101-69 rout of Robert Morris, will face a stiffer test in its next outing, hosting Xavier on Nov. 14.

The game’s final score fell well below the pregame over/under line of 144.5. Iowa covered the pregame spread, having been installed as a 27.5-point favorite. The result was largely in line with statistical projections, which gave the Hawkeyes a 98.9 percent probability of victory.