IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Senior Aaron White scored 17 points with nine rebounds and Iowa held off Pepperdine 72-61 on Monday night, snapping a two-game losing streak. Mike Gesell and Jarrod Uthoff had 15 points apiece for the Hawkeyes (3-2), who never trailed but nonetheless struggled at times against the Waves (3-1).

Pepperdine got as close as 39-36 before Iowa responded with an 11-0 run. Still, the Waves kept their deficit within single digits for much of the second half. It was a 7-point game after Amadi Udenyi’s 3-pointer with 1:10 left, but Iowa made 6 of 8 free throws to seal the win. Shawn Olden had 17 points while Stacy Davis added 13 points and nine boards for Pepperdine, whose winning streak was halted at three games.

The Hawkeyes were certainly happy to be back in Iowa City after losing to Texas and Syracuse in New York last week. They didn’t look very comfortable on their home court in the first half though. Iowa let a 10-point lead dwindle to 35-30 by the end of the half, which it closed by missing seven straight shots. The Hawkeyes let Pepperdine creep as close as 39-36 before Anthony Clemmons hit a 3 and a transition layup to spark. Uthoff’s mid-range jumper made it 50-36 with 12:25 left.

Pepperdine responded with a 10-2 spurt. But Uthoff threw down a one-handed dunk off an alley-oop pass from Josh Oglesby, and Gesell hit a 3 to push Iowa back ahead 62-49.