IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Iowa men’s basketball team honored Kenny Arnold by winning all three games of the Kenny Arnold Classic.

Iowa, despite being without sophomore forward Owen Freeman due to an illness, completed the mission by defeating South Dakota 96-77 on Tuesday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Iowa defeated Texas A&M Commerce and Southern University in the first two games by scores of 89-67 and 89-74, respectively.

Junior guard Josh Dix led five Iowa players in double figures with 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field.

Transfers Seydou Traore and Drew Thelwell scored 12 and 11 points, respectively for Iowa.

Iowa only led 42-36 at halftime as South Dakota closed the first half on a 7-2 scoring run.

But the Hawkeyes started the second half on a 17-5 scoring run and were in control the rest of the way.

“We have a lot of different guys that can shoot the ball with range and then we’ve got some drivers and we’ve got some playmakers, so offensively we can put it together like we did in the second half and really look good,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said on the Big Ten Network post-game radio show. “Our defense still has to improve, our ball-screen defense, but we were much better in the second half.”

Iowa made 11 of its first 13 field-goal attempts in the second half, and 13-of-31 three-point field goals overall.

“We knew coming out at half only being by six that we had to dominate and take over and just kind of put it out of reach,” Dix said.

Kenny Arnold was a starting guard on Iowa’s 1980 Final Four team and a three-year starter under Lute Olson.

He was diagnosed with a brain tumor shortly after finishing his Hawkeye career, and he would go on to battle health issues for three decades before passing away in 2019 at the age of 59.

Arnold’s courage, determination and positive outlook in the face of adversity inspired his former college teammates, and to have his alma mater play three games in his honor is a way to show appreciation.

Iowa will face Washington State in its next game on Friday in the John Deere Quad Cities Hoops Showdown. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Vibrant Arena at the Mark.