Josh Dix makes a game-winning 3 to save the Hawkeyes

This story has been updated with new information.

IOWA CITY – Josh Dix did the improbable on Tuesday.

Iowa had the ball with less than six seconds left, trailing by two points. But the Hawkeyes’ possession seemed to be going completely nowhere, so Payton Sandfort, alarmed, called a timeout.

With less than a second left, Dix caught the ball on a side play outside the field and scored the game-winning three-pointer from more than 30 feet away. It led the Hawkeyes to an 80-79 victory over Northwestern in the Big Ten season opener and saved the Hawkeyes from a catastrophic collapse.

Iowa improved to 7-1 overall and 1-0 in the conference.

Iowa came out of the gate with great energy and intensity, taking a 13-3 lead less than six minutes into the contest. The Hawkeyes, who led by as many as 17 points in the first half, went into halftime with an 11-point lead.

This led to a terrible Iowa basketball game. In less than nine minutes, Northwestern turned that 11-point deficit into a one-point lead. During that time, Iowa looked like a shell of the team that was down in the first half.

Northwestern had three players score in double figures: Brooks Barnhizer (21), Ty Berry (20) and Nick Martinelli (19). This trio was sensational in the second half, scoring 36 of their 45 points after halftime.

Northwestern, which shot just 44% from the field and 33% from deep, turned things around after halftime. The Wildcats shot 52% from the field and 44% from deep in the second half.

Meanwhile, Iowa saw a decline in numbers. The Hawkeyes shot 65% from the field and 55% from deep in the first half. In the second half, Iowa was 45% from the field, 25% from deep and 46% from the free throw line.

The Hawkeyes were outscored 45-35 in the second half.

Before Dix’s decisive moment, Iowa was hanging by a thread in the crucial period. Trailing by three points, Brock Harding went for an and-one with 14.3 seconds left. He had a free throw to tie the game but missed it.

It featured a terrible second half at the free throw line by Iowa. The Hawkeyes were just 6 of 13 from the charity stripe after halftime.

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