IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Bennett Stirtz scored 27 points and No. 25 Iowa held off a second-half comeback attempt by UCLA for a 74-61 win on Saturday. The Hawkeyes (12-2, 2-1 Big Ten) led by as many as 24 points in the first half and 20 points early in the second half before the Bruins (10-4, 2-1) stormed back.

Dent scored 25 points on 12-for-19 shooting, 20 of which came after halftime, to pull the Bruins back to within four. Battling foul trouble, Iowa senior guard Bennett Stirtz was able to outduel Dent, scoring a game-high 27 points.

No. 12 Vanderbilt lost to Iowa 34-27 on Dec. 31 in the ReliaQuest Bowl despite a 347-yard passing game from Diego Pavia.

Iowa football improves to 9-4 on the season after holding off Diego Pavia-led Vanderbilt for a thrilling 34-27 win in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Dec. 31.

Hawkeyes Wire gives its official predictions for this years ReliaQuest Bowl. Do the Hawkeyes finally break the losing streak against ranked opponents?

Expert recap and game analysis of the Northern Iowa Panthers vs. Evansville Purple Aces NCAAM game from January 4, 2026 on ESPN.