Josh Dix scores 23 to propel Iowa past South Dakota

Josh Dix erupted for a team-high 23 points Tuesday night as Iowa pulled away from South Dakota in the second half of a 96-77 win in Iowa City.Dix needed just 10 shots to do his damage, going 8 of 10 from the floor and 5 of 6 from the 3-point line as the Hawkeyes improved to 3-0. Payton Sandfort and reserve Seydou Traore each added 12, while Ladji Dembele and reserve Drew Thelwell tallied 11 points apiece.Iowa shot a blistering 64.7 percent from the field in the second half, expanding a six-point halftime lead to as many as 23 points down the stretch. The Hawkeyes canned 13 of 31 3-point attempts, giving them 41 3-pointers in the first three games.Kaleb Stewart poured in a game-high 26 points for the Coyotes (3-1), going 11 of 19 from the field and 4 of 10 on 3-pointers. Isaac Bruns came off the bench to score 11 but the visitors just didn’t have enough firepower to beat a Power 4 opponent on the road. South Dakota’s other four starters managed a measly 20 points.Iowa blew it open pretty quickly in the second half. Leading 46-41 after Cameron Fens hit a layup with 18:28 left, the Hawkeyes rattled off 13 straight points. Dix canned a couple of 3-pointers and fed Riley Mulvey for a dunk and an 18-point advantage with 15:26 remaining.

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