Hawkeye fans were impressed with the way Iowa MBB fought to the end

It was anything but pretty in the second half for Iowa Men's Basketball, but they held on to beat a tough UCLA team at home.

Head Coach Ben McCollum has been pleading with Iowa fans to show up for home games, and the crowd didn't disappoint.

Carver-Hawkeye Arena was nearly packed for a "white out" game against the Bruins, and the energy in the building was higher than anyone has seen in a long time for the Iowa men.

The Hawkeyes came out hot in the first half, putting up 40 points on a stout UCLA defense that has been giving opponents fits this season.

After the first 20 minutes, everything came crashing down for the Hawkeyes, who barely clung to a lead that dwindled to as little as six points after being up by as many as 24.

With star guard Bennett Stirtz in foul trouble, the Hawkeye offense suffered, but in the end, Iowa overcame a late push by the Bruins to earn a 74-61 win.

Stirtz led all scorers with 27 points and added four rebounds and five assists. Alvaro Folgueiras also added 13 points and five rebounds off the bench in the victory.

After a gritty performance, Hawkeye fans appreciated the toughness the team displayed as they held on for the win.

It was great to see Iowa not fold up and lose after a late push by UCLA and it was even better to see Carver-Hawkeye Arena engaged in the game.

Playing hard is the name of the game for Ben McCollum and his squad, and that was on full display in the victory.

While it is true that the refereeing crew had a rough night at CHA, it was good to see both teams fight through it, but it was a gutsy win for the Hawkeyes.

The Hawkeyes definitely had to overcome some adversity in the second half, but the team kept fighting until the end.

Next game: Tuesday, January 6 at Minnesota (7:00 p.m. Central Time)