Overview
- Iowa broke a 22-22 tie with a 23-6 first-half run to lead 45-29 at the break and held a double-digit advantage the rest of the way.
- Bennett Stirtz scored 21 points, Tavion Banks added 13, and reserve Kael Combs chipped in 11 for the Hawkeyes.
- Cam Manyawu finished with nine points and nine rebounds as Iowa shot 57% from the field despite going 3-for-11 from three.
- Xavier dropped to 2-2 under new coach Richard Pitino, shooting 39%, with Jovan Milicevic scoring 15 and Filip Borovicanin and Tre Carroll each adding 12.
- The victory moves Iowa to 3-0 and delivers the nonconference outcome that pregame analysis had tagged as significant for the Hawkeyes' early résumé.