IOWA CITY — Here in the first half, gone in the second.

The two halves could not have been more different in the 73-57 Iowa victory at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday in front of a sea of black and gold.

While the first half was a struggle between two seemingly evenly matched teams, the second half was a complete blowout as the Hawkeyes pulled within one game of the mythical state championship.

“We played to start the second half much the same way that we finished the Drake game,” said head coach Greg McDermott.

Iowa had four players reach double figures in the game, led by Jeff Peterson with 17 points and Jermain Davis, who added 16. The Cyclones were led by Diante Garrett, who was the only Cyclone in double figures with 16.

Brackins, a player McDermott identified prior to the game as somebody he would like to see step up, finished the game with just six points on 12 shots.

“I thought [Iowa defender Cyrus] Tate manhandled him,” McDermott said.

The game couldn’t have started much less auspiciously for the Cyclones. Brackins air-balled the opening tip followed by a layup by Iowa guard Jermain Davis. The next trip down the floor, Brackins was stripped by Davis, who went racing down the court for a double-handed dunk. Two Davis free throws later and Iowa was sitting on a 6-0 lead.

That is as far as either team would pull away in the first half however, as Iowa State immediately went on a nine-to-two run, taking a 9-8 lead. The in-state rivals traded punches the rest of the way, with both teams biggest lead reaching four points.

Iowa took a slim 34-32 lead heading into the locker room at halftime after a Diante Garrett drive and layup with two seconds on the clock.

The second half started worse for the Cyclones then the first half as Jake Kelly and Jeff Peterson hit a pair of 3-point shots for the Hawkeyes to begin a 16-2 run that all but put the game away for Iowa.

“Their shot selection was better to start the second half,” McDermott said.

Iowa State struggled to find any offense, scoring just four points on 2-8 shooting in the first 10 minutes of the half. Iowa used the 3-point shot, going 4-5 and 6-13 from the field to open up a commanding 23-point lead.