No. 18 Iowa pounds Pepperdine 97-68

Published Nov. 21, 2014 10:47 p.m. ET

foxsports

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) Melissa Dixon scored 20 points with six 3-pointers, and Ally Disterhoft added 14 points with 10 rebounds as No. 18 Iowa defeated Pepperdine 97-68 in the Hawkeye Challenge Friday night.

Iowa (3-0) shot 53 percent - including nearly 58 percent from 3-point range - to steadily pull away from cold-shooting Pepperdine (39.4 percent). Disterhoft's double-double was her fourth at Iowa.

The Waves (1-2) hung with the Hawkeyes for much of the first half - tied twice and holding a one-point lead - until Iowa ended the with a 10-3 run into halftime.

Pepperdine, behind 16 points from Allie Green and 14 from Ea Shoushtari, couldn't close the gap after halftime. Shoushtari, a senior, came into the game with 600 career points.

Dixon hit six of 11 3-pointers rising to fourth all-time in 3-pointers at Iowa (225).

Iowa plays Dayton (2-2), Pepperdine meets Tennessee-Martin (1-4) in the tournament finale Saturday.