February 23, 1999

Box Score

By GREG SMITH
Associated Press Writer

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - Jess Settles scored 16 points as No. 18 Iowa beat Northwestern 65-48 Tuesday night to give coach Tom Davis a victory in his last game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Settles, a sixth-year senior also playing for the last time at home, also grabbed seven rebounds for the Hawkeyes (18-7, 9-6 Big Ten), who beat Northwestern for the eighth straight time, 15 of the last 16 games and 24 of the last 26.

J.R. Koch and Joey Range each finished with 11 points and Dean Oliver had a career-high 12 rebounds for Iowa.

David Newman scored 11 points and Tavaras Hardy had 10 for the Wildcats (14-11, 6-9), who haven't won in Iowa City since 1994.

Davis is in his 13th year at Iowa but isn't returning because his contract is not being extended past this season.

The program's winningest coach, Davis has a 267-137 record at Iowa going into the regular-season finale Saturday at Indiana. He has a 541-287 overall record in 28 years of coaching.

The Hawkeyes jumped on Northwestern early, bolting to a 17-0 lead and not allowing a point until Hardy hit a 15-foot jumper at the 12:08 mark of the first half.

Northwestern, which attempted just seven shots in the first eight minutes while committing eight turnovers, settled down to chop Iowa's lead to 29-17 at halftime.

Two free throws by Koch capped a 14-7 Iowa spurt to start the second half and give the Hawkeyes a 43-24 lead with 13:14 remaining.

The Wildcats, who have lost five straight, were hampered in the opening minutes of the second half when center Evan Eschmeyer picked up his third and fourth fouls and was taken out with 17:22 to play.

It was the second straight sub-par game for Eschmeyer, who is averaging 20 points and 11 rebounds per game.

Eschmeyer scored a season-low eight points and pulled down three rebounds while attempting only four shots against the Hawkeyes. Eschmeyer was held to 10 points last Saturday in a 59-49 loss at Ohio State.