The Iowa Hawkeyes (3-0) earned another dominant win against the South Dakota Coyotes by a score of 96-77 on Tuesday night from Carver-Hawkeye Arena thanks to contributions from up and down the lineup.
While the Coyotes kept the game close by only trailing 42-36 at halftime, the Hawkeyes were able to slam the door shut in the second half to improve to 3-0 on the campaign.
As a team, Iowa shot 37-for-68 (54.4%) from the field, 13-for-31 (41.9%) from 3-point range, and 9-for-12 (75%) from the free throw line.
The impressive shooting performance from the Hawkeyes has been a trend over the first three games and one that head coach Fran McCaffery would certainly like to continue.
Even with an all-around team effort, three Hawkeyes stood out to help guide Iowa to victory.
Josh Dix
Dix powered the Hawkeyes’ offensive attack by contributing 23 points, five assists, four rebounds, and one steal in 27 minutes played. He had an impressive shooting performance of 8-for-10 from the field, including 5-for-6 from 3-point range and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line.
Dix’s outstanding mid-range jumper and confident 3-point shot shined for Iowa Tuesday night, especially in the second half as the Hawkeyes pulled away from the Coyotes.
Ladji Dembele
Dembele had a career-high in both points and rebounds versus South Dakota, finishing with 11 points on a 5-for-8 shooting night and eight total rebounds in 22 minutes.
The sophomore forward showed off a confident mid-range jump shot that the Hawkeyes will look to utilize moving forward, especially as the scheduled competition gets more challenging.
Early 2nd half bucket from @ladji_kalilou #Hawkeyes
Watch on @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/AK7KB3H85H
— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) November 13, 2024
Seydou Traore
Traore made his season and Hawkeye debut on Tuesday night, posting 12 points, four rebounds, two blocks, and an assist in 22 minutes. He shot 5-for-9 from the field, which included 2-for-5 from beyond the arc.
Traore, originally scheduled to receive minutes off the bench, was thrust into the starting lineup when forward Owen Freeman missed with an illness. Although he served as a fill-in for Freeman, Traore delivered a much-needed sense of athleticism to the Hawkeyes game.
One of his many highlights from Tuesday night’s win over South Dakota was an emphatic alley-oop slam off a beautiful Brock Harding pass with about 14:29 left in the second half that expanded a growing Hawkeyes lead to 61-43.
Turn us up, SEY 🔥@iamseydou35 x #Hawkeyes
Watch on @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/LHwORzDMCi
— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) November 13, 2024
While Traore didn’t have one of the most impressive stat lines of the evening, he is a perfect fit for what the Hawkeyes want to run on both ends of the floor and has a very high ceiling moving forward.
Iowa’s next game will be against Washington State (3-0) as part of the John Deere Quad Cities Hoops Showdown from Moline, Ill., inside Vibrant Arena at the Mark.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network as well as the Hawkeyes Radio Network.
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