Hawkeyes men’s basketball team wins opener vs. North Dakota, 110-68

IOWA CITY — Iowa got its men’s basketball season off to a roaring start Tuesday night, defeating North Dakota at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, 110-68.

Payton Sandfort scored 13 of his team-high 21 points in the game’s first six minutes to pace the Hawkeyes to a 21-9 lead.

A lineup consisting of four freshmen and sophomore guard Josh Dix went on a 9-0 run midway through the first half for a 35-14 advantage. Frosh center Owen Freeman had a dunk and two other baskets in that stretch.

Freeman’s Moline (Ill.) High teammate, freshman guard Brock Harding, fed him for two of those baskets and banked in a 3-pointer himself.

Iowa made 8 of 16 three-pointers in the first half in building a 56-32 lead at the break. The Fighting Hawks had 13 turnovers in the half to the Hawkeyes’ one, with Iowa scoring 21 points off those UND miscues.

An 11-0 run gave the Hawkeyes an 81-44 lead with 12:22 left.

All five Iowa starters scored at least 10 points. Senior forward Ben Krikke had 18 in his Hawkeye debut. Patrick McCaffery and Dasonte Bowen scored 11 points, Tony Perkins 10. Freeman had 14 on high-percentage shots, making 7 of 8.

Harding had seven assists in 11 minutes of play. Bowen added five.

B.J. Omot scored 24 points for North Dakota.

Iowa made 53.3 percent of its field goal attempts, was 12-of-24 from 3-point distance, hit 18 of 20 free throws, and had seven turnovers to UND’s 19.

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