The Iowa Hawkeyes beat Creighton, 69-56, in Thursday’s opening round of the N-C-Double-A tournament. Iowa had to come back from an 11-point deficit in the second half to advance in the East Region in Uniondale, New York.Hawkeye Coach Steve Alford says this team is establishing a pattern of falling behind and fighting back to win.Alford credited his team’s defense after they held Creighton without a field goal for more than 10 minutes late in the second half.Iowa made 30 of 35 free throws while keeping Creighton off the line, which Alford says is their defensive game plan and the way to win.Reggie Evans led Iowa with 19 points and seven rebounds, Duez Henderson had 17, Dean Oliver chipped in 15 points and freshman Glen Worley had 12. It was Iowa’s fifth consecutive win after winning four straight to take the Big Ten Tournament title last weekend. They’re now 23-11 on the season. The Hawkeyes play second-seeded Kentucky Saturday night at seven p.m. Kentucky downed Holy Cross 72-68 to advance.