(AP) -- Devyn Marble scored 19 points to help Iowa hold on for an important 73-59 victory over Northwestern in the first round of the Big Ten tournament on Thursday night.
Mike Gesell added 11 points, including a clinching three-point play with 1:41 left as the Hawkeyes (21-11) continued their late-season push for a spot in the NCAA tournament with their eighth victory in 10 games.
Reggie Hearn powered a late Northwestern's rally after an awful start, scoring 14 of his 19 points in the second half.
He drove inside to trim Iowa's lead to 50-43 with 8:27 left, but Marble and Gesell each hit a big 3-pointer to help the Hawkeyes hold on for their third consecutive victory.
Melsahn Basabe had 10 points and 12 rebounds for Iowa, which shot just 37.1 percent but enjoyed a 48-31 advantage on the boards.
Alex Olah scored 12 points for Northwestern (13-19) and Tre Demps finished with 11.
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