Gonzaga vs. Iowa: Score and Twitter Reaction from March Madness 2015

On a day that saw two No. 2 seeds go down to No. 7 seeds, the Gonzaga Bulldogs bucked the trend and emphatically moved to the Sweet 16 with a dominant win over the Iowa Hawkeyes.

NCAA March Madness tweeted the final result:

The victory already places Gonzaga among one of Mark Few's most successful tournament teams as noted by ESPN Stats & Info:

Kyle Wiltjer continued to be a star for Gonzaga. He not only led the team in scoring, but he did it as efficiently as possible. ESPN Stats & Info charted his perfect start to the game that extended into the second half:

Kevin Pelton of ESPN summed up Wiltjer's incredible efficiency as the second half progressed and he helped the Bulldogs pull away for good:

Wiltjer finished the game with 24 point and seven rebounds on 10-of-12 shooting from the field. Freshman Domantas Sabonis also stood out with 18 points and nine rebounds. 

Aaron White did a commendable job of keeping his team competitive. The senior was able to get to the rim consistently for the Hawkeyes and crossed the double digit threshold for the 29th time this season, per Iowa basketball:

White finished with 19 points in his final game as a member of the Hawkeyes. Jarrod Uthoff also finished his season on a high note for Iowa. The junior had 20 points and eight boards. 

The Bulldogs took a commanding lead in the early going. The West Coast Conference champions built their No. 2 seed resume on being the nation's top shooting team and that skill was on full display in the early going, as noted by Rick Brown of The Des Moines Register:

The run was just a sign of things to come in the first half. Thanks to excellent ball movement and a balanced scoring attack, the Bulldogs continued to overwhelm the Hawkeyes. 

Ultimately, the Zags took a 46-29 lead into halftime. As ESPN Stats & Info pointed out, the lights-out shooting wasn't their only strength. They were also creating and capitalizing on turnovers:

Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery came away disappointed in his team's defensive effort all over the court at halftime. Danny Lawhon of The Des Moines Register passed along the coach's comments:

The Hawkeyes appeared to have taken their coach's words to heart entering the second half. Iowa opened up the half on an 8-2 run that cut the lead to 11 in the first four minutes, but that success wasn't enough to get Iowa over the hump. 

Gonzaga's offensive onslaught continued, as the Hawkeyes were unable to consistently score enough to keep the the pressure on. Eventually, a three-point shot from Kevin Pangos highlighted a 4:23 scoring drought for the Hawkeyes, as the early momentum in the second frame officially slipped away.

The Bulldogs never looked back as they closed out with authority and left no doubt that they are as good offensively as any team in the country. 

Of course, the real challenge will be advancing even further this time. In 2009, the Dogs were eliminated by North Carolina in the Sweet 16. This year, they'll take on a much lower seed as the No. 11 UCLA Bruins will meet them in Houston. 

The Bruins have had a surprising run through the field thus far. They began by stunning No. 6 seed SMU 60-59 on a goaltending call before easily taking care of No. 14 seed UAB in the round of 32. 

With Gonzaga's strong start and UCLA's fortunate draw thus far, Bulldogs fans have to like their team's chances to be one of the last eight teams remaining.