Iowa City, Iowa ? All Greg Brunner needed was a little nudge from coach Steve Alford at halftime.

Brunner responded in the second half, scoring 12 points in a 3:22 span to help No. 17 Iowa build what seemed to be a commanding 13-point lead.

Brunner finished with a team-high 23 points, but the Hawkeyes sputtered down the stretch and had to hold off a rally to beat in-state rival Northern Iowa, 76-73, Tuesday.

“Coach got into me because I was playing horrible defense and I think that kind of motivated me,” said Brunner, who also had four rebounds and two assists. “I just think the whole team atmosphere picked up and we played really well together. I wanted to win this one bad.”

His hopes and hard work nearly were dashed in the final minutes.

After Doug Thomas’ tip-in with 7:24 put the Hawkeyes (7-1) up 68-56, their biggest lead of the second half, Northern Iowa stormed back.

The Panthers’ leading scorer, Erek Crawford, held in check most of the game, hit the first of three three-pointers to put Northern Iowa (3-2) back on track.

The Hawkeyes struggled offensively down the stretch, scoring just two field goals and missing several free throws in the final six minutes.

Crawford, who finished with nine points, hit his second trey minutes later to bring the Panthers to within six, then nailed another deep from the left wing with 34 seconds left make it 74-73.

Northern Iowa's Ben Jacobson, right, loses control of the ball as he tries to drive around Iowa's Pierre Pierce. The Hawkeyes beat the Panthers, 76-73, Tuesday in Iowa City, Iowa.

After Adam Haluska missed a free throw, the Panthers had a chance to take the lead, but Ben Jacobson, who led all scorers with 25 points, missed a 15-footer with six seconds left.

Jeff Horner grabbed the rebound, was fouled and hit both free throws to give the Hawkeyes their final margin of victory.

Chris Foster’s desperation shot, launched near midcourt, just missed, sealing Iowa’s 20th straight home victory over the Panthers.

“I’m proud of my team from the standpoint that we battled back,” said Greg McDermott, Panther coach. “There’s not an ounce of quit in that group.”

Horner added 16 points, including four three-pointers. Erek Hansen and Pierre Pierce each had 14 points to propel Iowa to its fourth straight win.

But it was Jacobson who had the game’s hottest hand. He hit 10-of-16 shots, including 3-of-4 from three-point range and accounted for nine of his team’s first 13 points to open the game.

He had a chance to give the Panthers the lead with six seconds left. After taking the pass on the left wing, Jacobson pulled up, fired over the Pierce’s outstretched hand, but the ball rattled off the rim.

“We had to put it in Jacobson’s hands and let him win or lose the game for us,” McDermott said. “He got us there. Pierre (Pierce) defended it well so we came up a little short.”

The Panthers also got 16 points and a game-high 11 rebounds from freshman center Eric Coleman. Grant Stout added 15 points and seven rebounds.

The victory helped the Hawkeyes avenge last year’s loss at Northern Iowa, one of several tough losses that kept the Hawkeyes from earning an invitation to the NCAA Tournament.

“We’ve got a long way to go defensively, but we’re making some small steps in the right direction,” Alford said.

No. 11 Pittsburgh 70, Memphis 51

New York — Carl Krauser scored all but two of his 17 points at the free-throw line, leading No. 11 Pittsburgh in the Jimmy V Classic.

The Panthers (6-0), who have held all their opponents this season to less than 60 points, improved their record at Madison Square Garden since 2002 to 12-3.

“I am overwhelmed every time I step on that court,” said Krauser, who is from the Bronx.

“This is the court all the greats have played on and I get to play on it in front of my family and friends. I am lucky to play in the Big East. The Garden is very special.”

Chris Taft had 13 points and 10 rebounds for Pittsburgh, which opened the game with a 12-2 run and had its first 20-point lead at 30-10 with 9:04 left in the first half.

Memphis (5-3) shot just 29 percent (9-for-31), including 1-for-9 from three-point range, as the Panthers took a 41-23 halftime lead. Rodney Carney led the Tigers with 18 points, while Sean Banks added 11.

No. 16 Washington 98, San Diego State 69

Seattle — Nate Robinson scored 24 points, and Tre Simmons added a career-high 23 in a shooting clinic that led 16th-ranked Washington.

The Huskies combined to make 13 of their first 17 shots, including eight of 11 three-pointers. Robinson finished 9-for-16 overall and 3-for-7 from beyond the arc. Simmons was 9-for-13 for the game and 5-for-7 on three-pointers.

Jamaal Williams added with 13 points, and Bobby Jones had 10 to go with nine rebounds for the Huskies. Washington (6-1) is off to its best start since the 1997-98 squad also won six of its first seven games.

Marcus Slaughter had 21 points for San Diego State (4-2).

No. 18 Alabama 72, Alabama State 54

Montgomery, Ala. — Kennedy Winston scored 21 points, and Chuck Davis had 18 points and nine rebounds for the Crimson Tide.

Alabama (7-0), the nation’s top scoring team, was held to a season-low in points but led by double digits for the final 33 minutes.

Reserve George Savage had 14 points, making four of seven three-pointers, to lead the Hornets (1-4).

No. 24 Wisconsin 65, Wisconsin-Green Bay 55

Madison, Wis. — Mike Wilkinson scored 18 points, and Wisconsin extended the longest home winning streak in Division One to 32 games.

Alando Tucker added 16 points and Sharif Chambliss had 13 for the Badgers (5-1), who scored the first 12 points of the game and never trailed. Wisconsin led by as many as 21 in the first half and took a 35-21 lead into halftime.

Josh Lawrence and Javier Mendiburu each scored 10 points to lead Wisconsin-Green Bay (4-2), which is 0-11 all-time against Wisconsin.

No. 25 Gonzaga 54, Washington State 52

Pullman, Wash. — Ronny Turiaf scored 17 points, and Adam Morrison added 12 for the Bulldogs.

Gonzaga (6-1) came into the game averaging 83 points, but the Cougars’ defense held the Bulldogs to 41 percent shooting for their lowest point total of the season.

Washington State (3-3) came close to a victory after losing its previous game to No. 5 Oklahoma State by 52 points. The Cougars, though, made just 19 of 58 shots from the field.