Iowa tops Drake 59-52

DES MOINES - It wasn't pretty, but it was a win for Iowa.

After opening the game with a 14-point lead, the Hawkeyes squandered it before pulling out a 59-52 win at Drake tonight.

Matt Gatens led Iowa (6-5) with 19 points. Melsahn Basabe and Zach McCabe each had nine points.

Ryan Wedel and Rayvonte Rice each had 14 points for Drake (4-5).

Here's the first-half recap:

Iowa scored on six of its first eight offensive possessions and took a 14-point on Drake 15 minutes, 25 seconds left in the first half.

The Bulldogs didn't have a rebound in that span. Then the game went to hell for the Hawkeyes.

The Bulldogs rallied in part because of Iowa's inept offensive attack. Drake put together a 17-5 run and at one point cut the Hawkeyes' lead to two points. Drake scored its first basket with 14:11 left in the half.

Iowa leads 24-19 with Bryce Cartwright's jumper at the buzzer.

But the first half was marked by atrocious offensive efforts by both squads. Iowa hit just 8-of-25 shots after nailing five shots in the opening run. Each team posted 11 turnovers, and the schools combined for 18 personal fouls.

Matt Gatens led Iowa with eight points. He also has four turnovers.