IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -- Pierre Pierce scored 19 points and No. 16 Iowa held off a spirited comeback attempt by Air Force for a 73-63 win Tuesday night.<br>
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After leading 29-17 at halftime, the Hawkeyes (11-1) opened the second half with a 17-6 run. Pierce scored seven points during that stretch and gave Iowa a 46-23 lead with a slam dunk after a steal by Adam Haluska.<br>
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Over the next eight minutes the Hawkeyes padded their lead to 61-37 and appeared to be on their way to a comfortable win with 6:36 to play.<br>
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The Falcons (6-5) responded with a 15-1 run. Tim Keller and Jacob Burtschi each hit a 3-pointer, and Nick Welch and Antoine Hood contributed four points each during the spurt.<br>
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A basket by Hood with 2:19 left cut Iowa's lead to 62-52. The Hawkeyes held on from there, going 9-of-10 from the foul line in the final two minutes.<br>
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Greg Brunner scored 17 points for Iowa and Haluska added 14.<br>
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Burtschi led Air Force with 19 points, including five 3-pointers. Hood added 12, while Keller and Dan Nwaelele had 11 each.<br>
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In the first half, both teams were slow to recover from the long holiday layoff. Iowa hadn't played in a week, while Air Force was back on the court for the first time since Dec. 13. The Hawkeyes threw away several passes and missed numerous shots close to the basket. The Falcons were plagued by turnovers, including two shot-clock violations and three calls for traveling.<br>
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Coach Steve Alford improved his record at Iowa to 100-72 in his sixth season with the Hawkeyes.
