The Iowa Hawkeyes scored a 69-46 win over the UNI Panthers in The Hy-Vee Classic at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on Saturday (Dec. 17, 2016).

The Hawkeyes (6-5 overall) rode a 21-point game from Peter Jok while keeping UNI's shooting at chilly levels throughout the contest. The Panthers (5-5 overall) shot 26.8 percent from the floor, including 23.1 percent from the three-point arc.

In the nightcap of the doubleheader, the Iowa State Cyclones defeated the Drake Bulldogs, 97-80. Naz Mitrou-Long led the Cyclones with a career-best 37 points. Iowa State held a 42-40 halftime advantage.

Against UNI, the Hawkeyes jumped out to a 16-7 lead with 10:12 left in the first half. The Panthers trimmed the lead to 18-13 on a three-pointer from Spencer Haldeman with 7:10 remaining in the first half. Iowa then closed the first half on a 16-3 run to take a 34-16 lead at the intermission. The Panthers made 6-of-31 shots in the first half (19.4 percent).

The Hawkeyes pushed the lead to 27 less than five minutes into the second half at 51-24. The Panthers shooting rose to 36 percent in the second half on 9-of-25 shooting from the field. Iowa enjoyed a 34-14 scoring advantage in the paint.

UNI senior Jeremy Morgan scored 14 points, grabbed nine rebounds, handed out four assists and blocked a shot to lead the Panthers. Halderman, a redshirt freshman guard, added 12 points.

UP NEXT: The Panthers return to action Wednesday, when they face the North Carolina Tar Heels on the road. Tip off from the Dean E. Smith Center -- also known as "The Dean Dome" -- in Chapel Hill, N.C., is set for 7 p.m. (CT) on ESPN2.

Last year, UNI recorded a memorable upset over the No. 1-ranked Tar Heels when North Carolina played the Panthers at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls.

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