Iowa Sweeps Cleveland with 136-113 Win Friday Night

DES MOINES, Iowa – The Iowa Wolves swept the Cleveland Charge with its 136-113 win on Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena in front of 4,134 fans. 

The 136 points is a season high for Iowa (5-9), who made a season-best 20 three-pointers. Cleveland (5-9) lost its sixth-straight game.  

The Wolves were paced by two-way Luka Garza’s season-high 38 points. Tyrese Martin posted a double-double with season-highs of 26 points and 10 rebounds. Martin knocked down six three-pointers. D.J. Carton returned from missing Thursday night’s game due to injury and poured in 27 points to go with six rebounds and four assists.

Two-way Emoni Bates was the top scorer for Cleveland with 29 points. Bates made four three-pointers and as a team, the Charge knocked down 19 threes. Olin Carter II was the next leading scorer with 19 points off the bench behind five three-pointers.

The Wolves’ defense held dynamic guard Sharife Cooper to just 14 points Friday after Cooper scored a team-high 31 points Thursday night. Cooper scored the first points Friday night, but Carton tied with a layup and Martin drilled his first three as Iowa never trailed again. The Wolves led by as many 32 points on the way to its second consecutive win. The team’s two-game winning streak is the first of the season.

Iowa travels to Orlando, Fla. for the 2023 NBA Showcase where it will play two games next week. Opponents, dates, times and broadcast information in Orlando will be announced this weekend. 

Following the Showcase, Iowa hosts the College Park Skyhawks on Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. CT to start the regular season. Every team’s record reset sat the start of the regular season.