Iowa closed the opening half with a 16-5 run and beat Rutgers 93-82 in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes fought off a second half rally that saw the Scarlet Knights trim a 13-point Hawkeye lead to one.

That’s Iowa coach Fran McCaffery who says the Hawkeyes did a better job of taking care of the basketball.

Junior forward Patrick McCaffery saw his first action in nearly a month after stepping away to deal with anxiety. He hit a trio of three pointers and finished with nine points.

It was McCaffery’s first game since a New Year’s Day loss at Penn State.

The Hawkeyes host Northwestern Tuesday night.