PALM DESERT, Calif. (AP) — Isaia Howard scored 19 points off the bench, Bennett Stirtz added 13, and Iowa defeated Grand Canyon 59-46 in the Acrisure Classic championship game on Wednesday night.

The Hawkeyes (7-0) remained undefeated under first-year coach Ben McCollum, who coached Drake last season and brought Howard and Stirtz with him to Iowa City.

The Hawkeyes led 30-23 at halftime then allowed one point in the first eight minutes of the second half while extending their lead to 37-24. Each team had more made free throws than made shots in the first 14 1/2 minutes after halftime.

A 3-pointer by Howard gave the Hawkeyes a 51-37 lead with about 4 minutes remaining. He buried two more 3-pointers down the stretch and finished with his season high in scoring.

Freshman Cooper Koch scored 11 points for Iowa. He and Howard each had six rebounds and Stirtz added five assists.

(Photo Above): Iowa sophomore guard/forward Isaia Howard (23) shoots the ball over Grand Canyon’s senior guard Jaden Henley (10). Iowa defeated Grand Canyon to win the Acrisure Classic in Palm Desert, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025.

Jaden Henley scored 16 points for Grand Canyon (4-3).

Henley scored eight points in the early going as Grand Canyon jumped out to a 10-4 lead 3 1/2 minutes into the game. The Lopes scored only five points in the next 11 minutes while the Hawkeyes went ahead 21-15.

The Acrisure Classic is one of four four-team events of the Acrisure Series held at Acrisure Arena this week.

Game Notes

• The Hawkeyes improved to 7-0 with a 59-46 victory over Grand Canyon to win the championship of the Acrisure Classic on Wednesday night at Acrisure Arena.
• Senior Bennett Stirtz was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
• The 7-0 start is the team’s best since the 2021-22 season.
• It is the second straight year Iowa has won a preseason tournament (Kenny Arnold Classic, 2024).
  • The team’s last tournament style crown came in 2018 at the 2K Empire Classic in New York with wins over Oregon and UConn.
• Iowa had three players finish in double figures: Isaia Howard (19), Bennett Stirtz (13), Cooper Koch (11)
  • Howard’s 19 points were a season-high and he also tied a career-best with six rebounds.  He went 7-of-10 from the floor with a season-best three 3-pointers.
  • Koch landed in double digits for the second straight game and he had six rebounds, tied for most on the team.
  • Stirtz scored 13 points; he has been in double figures in six of Iowa’s seven games.
• Stirtz played all 40 minutes for the second straight game and fourth time this season.
• The Hawkeyes allowed a season-low 46 points – the fewest allowed by the team since Dec. 17, 2016, against UNI when the Hawkeyes defeated the Panthers, 69-46.
  • Iowa limited GCU to 40.5 percent shooting and 29.4 percent from long range.
  • GCU scored 23 points in the first and 23 points in the second half.
• The Hawkeyes forced nine turnovers in the first half and 19 for the game.
  • Iowa scored 22 points off the 19 turnovers.
• The Hawkeyes held GCU without a point for the first 5:30 of the second half and six points over the first 11:30.
• Iowa trailed by six early (its largest deficit of the season) and 13-8 at the 13:56 mark.  The Hawkeyes used a 9-0 spurt to take a 17-13 lead and never trailed again.
  • Iowa allowed 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting for the final 13:56 of the opening half.

Up Next

The Hawkeyes return to action Dec. 2, traveling to East Lansing, Michigan, for their Big Ten Conference opener at nationally-ranked Michigan State. The game will begin at 6 p.m. (CT) and be streamed on NBC’s Peacock.