IOWA CITY – Iowa (5-2) defeated North Florida (4-4) 103-78 tonight in Carver-Hawkeye arena.
North Florida erased a four-point halftime lead and led twice in the second half (50-49, 52-51) with 16:50 left before the Hawkeyes used a 29-9 run over a 7:23 stretch to build an 80-61 lead.
Iowa hit the century mark for the second time this season, finishing with 103 points.
The Hawkeyes improved to 4-0 at home this season.
Iowa had five players reach double figures – Tony Perkins (21), Ben Krikke (21), Owen Freeman (16), Patrick McCaffery (16) and Payton Sandfort (10)
It is the second time this season five players have reached double digits; Iowa has had four or more players score 10+ in six of seven games.
Krikke finished with 21 points with 17 coming in the second half. He finished 5-of-9 from the field and went 11-of-11 from the free throw line. It is his team-best third game this season with 20 or more points. He is the first Hawkeye since Jordan Bohannon in 2019 vs. Nebraska to make all of his free throws (10 or more attempts).
He is the only Hawkeye to reach double digits in every game this season.
Perkins scored 14 of his 21 points in the first half as he finished with a season-high 21 points. He made 8-of-10 field goals and two 3-pointers in the game.
Perkins is the fourth Hawkeye to reach 20 points in a game this season (six total games).
Freeman scored a career-high 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting to go along with five rebounds, five blocks and three steals.
The forward scored 12 points (5-of-7 FG) in the first half in 11 minutes.
Freeman’s five blocks are a career high and he had three in a single second-half possession.
They are the most blocks by a Hawkeye since Keegan Murray against Longwood in 2021.
Iowa shot 54.8 percent from the floor in the first half, making 17-of-31 field goals, and 63.3 percent (19-of-30) in the second half.
The team has shot 50 percent or better in four straight halves.
Up Next
The Hawkeyes return to action Monday, traveling to West Lafayette, Indiana, for their Big Ten opener at No. 1 Purdue. Game time is set for 6 p.m. (CT) and the game will be televised on BTN.
