After leaving Champaign, Illinois, with a close loss, the Iowa women’s basketball team sought to snag its first conference win in Carver-Hawkeye against Nebraska on Dec. 31.

The teams played a fairly even game offensively and defensively, but the home court eventually propelled the Hawkeyes to victory, 75-72.

A recipe for success the Hawkeyes have relied heavily on this season is the offensive production of senior leader Ally Disterhoft and sophomore leaders Megan Gustafson and Tania Davis. Gustafson led the Hawkeyes with 22 points, going 9-of-12 on field goals. Disterhoft fired up a team-high 15 field goals but was only able to convert on six; luckily for the Hawkeyes, four of her baskets were 3s.

An unusual sight for the Hawkeyes during this Big Ten bruiser was the bench; it accounted for only 10 points. The highest scoring bench player for the Hawkeyes was sophomore Hannah Stewart with 3. Fortunately for Iowa, Gustafson is consistently able to be a ton in the paint, making this her seventh game with 20 or more points.

Iowa now sits at 10-5 overall (1-1 Big Ten). Seeking to improve upon the performance against Nebraska , the Hawkeyes will travel up to State Park for a conference on Jan 3. against Penn State.

— by Michael McCurdy