It didn’t take long for the Iowa women’s basketball team to prove that it was the better team on its Nov. 9 season-opener against Oral Roberts (1-1).

A 27-9 first quarter lead turned into a 49-21 halftime advantage before giving way to a 90-77 final score as the No. 13 Hawkeyes (1-0) checked off win No. 1 on the season.

That explosive first half set the tone for the Hawkeyes, and they were able to carry that big halftime lead all the way to the finish.

However, Oral Roberts cut the deficit in the second half with an offensive explosion from beyond the arc.

“I’m glad to start off the year with a ‘W,’ ” Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said. “I thought our first half was very good — offensively and defensively, we did some really good things. But the second half, we just didn’t bring the energy. We really let them get back in the second half with their 3-point shooting.”

Iowa held Oral Roberts to just 4-of-20 from beyond the arc in the first half, and that number jumped to 12-of-18 in the second.

That helped the Golden Eagles outscore the Hawkeyes 54-41 in the second half. But that didn’t matter as Iowa’s first half lead was enough.

Once again, Megan Gustafson was the standout for the Hawkeyes, though not in her typical manner.

While she did pick up her trademark double-double – the 56th of her career – with 23 points and 17 rebounds, she also led the Hawkeyes with 6 assists. She swatted away 4 shots as well.

Gustafson is known for her selflessness off the court, but on Nov. 9, it was mainly her selflessness that nudged the Hawkeyes in a winning direction.

“Having an All-American on your team is nice for a lot of reasons,” Hannah Stewart said. “I think it’s a testament to Megan, knowing she’s going to be doubled, and she knows those are assists. That’s something we work on.”

The primary beneficiary of those assists was Stewart, who had a career-high 19 points, 6 of them off Gustafson assists, and she also tracked down 5 rebounds and dished out 4 assists.

Also putting up points for the Hawkeyes was Alexis Sevillian, who was starting for the injured Kathleen Doyle. Sevillian netted 18 points while nabbing 3 rebounds and handing out 3 assists.

Joining Sevillian in double-digits for Iowa was Makenzie Meyer, who dropped 13 points with 3 rebounds and 3 assists.

Tania Davis also had a superb night knocking in 9 points on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc. She also pulled down 4 rebounds with 3 assists

As always, the mentality for the Hawkeyes is next game up, and that is the Hawkeyes’ focus.

“It’s a win for us,” Sevillian said. “We just got to come back in tomorrow prepare for Western Kentucky and sharpen up some things.”

The Hawkeyes’ next game will be on Nov. 13 in Bowling Green, Kentucky; they will take on Western Kentucky at 7 p.m.