The 2012 NIT tipped off on ESPN on Tuesday night and the Iowa Hawkeyes made the most of their first postseason tournament game in six years by defeating the Dayton Flyers by nine, 84-75.
Freshman forward Aaron White scored a career-high 25 points on 10-for-15 shooting and sophomore forward Zach McCabe tied a career high by adding 20 on a perfect 9-for-9 shooting night. Thanks in large part to White and McCabe, the Hawkeyes shot a remarkable 57-percent from the field in the game. Dayton only shot 39-percent.
The game was 53-51 in Iowa's favor midway through the second half when the Hawkeyes went on an 18-5 run to extend their lead to 15 with about eight minutes remaining. The Flyers hit a couple three pointers at the end of the game to put the final within ten, but their deficit was 15 for most of those final minutes.
The No. 7 seeded Hawkeyes (18-16) advance to play at either LSU or Oregon in the second round.
For more on the NIT, be sure to check out our NCAA basketball hub. Also be sure to check out our 2012 NCAA Tournament for more on the Big Dance.