Hawkeyes pull away from North Florida

IOWA CITY (AP) — Ben Krikke and Tony Perkins scored 21 points each and Iowa rode a 56-point second half to a 103-78 victory over North Florida on Wednesday night.

Patrick McCaffery and Owen Freeman added 16 points each and Payton Sandfort scored 10 for Iowa (5-2).

A hook shot by Dorian James gave North Florida a 50-49 lead early in the second half but a 17-5 run capped by Sandfort’s 3-pointer put the Hawkeyes up 11. Another Sandfort 3-pointer gave the Hawkeyes an 80-61 lead a couple of minutes later.

A 3-pointer from Josh Dix pushed the Hawkeyes past 100 points and gave them a 24-point lead with 3:24 remaining.

Chaz Lanier scored 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting with a couple of 3-pointers, Jaylen Smith scored 15 with four 3-pointers for North Florida (4-4).

Lanier and Smith hit back-to-back 3-pointers to finish off a 9-point run that gave the Ospreys a 28-26 lead near the 9-minute mark of the first half. The Hawkeyes responded with a 12-0 run in which four players scored, but the Ospreys kept it close and trailed 47-43 at the break.

Iowa is one the nation’s top offensive teams, averaging 88.7 points in the first six games. The Hawkeyes shot 59%, made eight 3-pointers and went 23 for 26 at the line.

Up next for Iowa is the Big Ten opener at Purdue on Monday.