Bennett Stirtz scored 27 points, and No. 25-ranked Iowa rode a strong start to hold off visiting UCLA’s second-half rally effort in a 74-61 decision on Saturday in Iowa City, Iowa.
The Hawkeyes (12-2, 2-1 Big Ten Conference) deluged the Bruins early, going on a 14-1 run midway through the first half that gave Iowa a double-digit-point advantage going into the second half.
The Hawkeye advantage swelled to 18 points by intermission and 21 the first few minutes after the break, but UCLA (10-4, 2-1) battled back with an 18-2 run.
Donovan Dent fueled the Bruins comeback, scoring 20 of his team-high 25 points in the second half. He shot 10 of 16 from the floor and committed no turnovers in the final 20 minutes after going just 2 for 3 with three giveaways through the first 20 minutes.
In a matchup of two of the Big Ten’s top point guards, Stirtz countered Dent with an 8-of-10 shooting performance, including making 4 of 6 from 3-point range. Stirtz also dished five assists despite playing much of the second half with four personal fouls.
Racking up whistles against Iowa’s star was a strategic approach for UCLA in the second half, which woke up its previously struggling offense by aggressively attacking the paint.
The Bruins scored 24 points in the paint in the second half after managing just 10 interior points in the first half. However, UCLA’s 3-point shots failed to fall, with the team going 1 of 9 after the break and 3 for 14 for the game.
Tyler Bilodeau, the only Bruin to score in double-figures alongside Dent, went 0 of 4 from deep and 3 of 10 from the floor overall. Bilodeau also committed five turnovers.
Iowa, meanwhile, got 13 points from Alvaro Folgueiras, 11 from Isaia Howard and — despite foul trouble — 10 from Tavion Banks.
Banks helped put the game away with a pair of free throws and a breakaway dunk during the Hawkeyes’ game-ending, 13-4 run.
