Stirtz Scores 36 in Iowa's 76-70 Win Over Northwestern

Iowa City, Iowa—Bennett Stirtz erupted for a career-high 36 points, powering the Iowa Hawkeyes to a 76-70 victory over the Northwestern Wildcats on Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena and extending their winning streak to six consecutive Big Ten games, the longest such run in a decade.

The senior guard, who transferred from Drake ahead of this season, shot 12 of 20 from the field, including 4 of 6 from three-point range, and sank all eight of his free throws. Stirtz played the full 40 minutes for the fourth time in his last five games, accounting for half of Iowa's 24 made field goals in a contest where the team's offense sputtered at times. His performance tied for the third-most points in arena history, surpassing his previous high of 32 set last week in an 84-66 road win over Oregon.

Iowa improved to 18-5 overall and 8-4 in the Big Ten with the gritty win, while Northwestern dropped to 10-14 overall and 2-11 in conference play, marking their seventh straight loss. The Wildcats, who entered on a two-game skid after an 84-44 defeat at No. 5 Illinois, kept the game close throughout, trailing by just one at halftime before Iowa pulled away late.

Northwestern jumped to an 18-13 lead...