Iowa’s loss to Purdue was one to forget for the Hawkeyes.

After exploding into the fourth quarter on a 7-2 run to take a 48-42 lead, No. 17 Iowa (11-4, 2-2 Big Ten) faltered down the stretch giving up the lead and the game in a 62-57 loss to Purdue (11-5, 3-1 Big Ten).

A big part of Iowa’s struggles came down to foul trouble for both Hannah Stewart and Megan Gustafson, Iowa’s two leading scorers for the game.

Gustafson saw her night end after fouling out with 1:43 left in the game and her team down, 55-53, while Stewart got her fourth foul with 4:42 remaining in the fourth.

Even with the foul trouble, both Gustafson and Stewart had stellar nights in West Lafayette. Gustafson put up her trademark double-double (14th this season) with 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Stewart chipped in 17 points with 6 boards, 2 assists, and a block.

Iowa’s starting trio of guards had an off night when it came to shooting, combining to make just 6 of their 27 shots (22 percent), including a rough 3-of-17 (17.6 percent) mark from 3-point range.

Even with the tough night from the floor, the Hawkeyes found a way to get the ball down low when they needed to, with Tania Davis and Kathleen Doyle tallying 7 assists each.

Defensive rebounding also played a part in the Hawkeye loss Thursday. Iowa allowed 9 offensive rebounds, which turned into 13 Boilermaker points.

A 2-2 start might not be the way the Hawkeyes wanted to start their Big Ten campaign, but the season is still young and they’ll have a chance to start a winning streak next week when they take on No. 18 Minnesota in Minneapolis on Jan. 14 at 6 p.m.