Gustafson shatters Big Ten record with 20th Player of the Week honor

Megan Gustafson made history on Monday, racking up the most Player of the Week honors in a career.

Lily Smith

Iowa center Megan Gustafson attempts a shot during the Iowa/Purdue women’s basketball game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday, January 27, 2019. The Hawkeyes defeated the Boilermakers, 72-58.

Pete Ruden, Sports Editor

Iowa senior Megan Gustafson has been smashing records all year, and she’s at it again. For the 20th time in her career, Gustafson was named the Big Ten Player of the Week, breaking Ohio State’s Jantel Lavender’s record of 19.

The award was Gustafson’s 10th of the season, breaking her own single-season record that she set in 2017-18.

In two games over the past week – a loss at Michigan and a win over Penn State – Gustafson averaged 28.5 points per game on 75 percent shooting and 10 rebounds.

The 90-81 loss to the Wolverines ended Iowa’s five-game winning streak, but Gustafson still put up impressive numbers. The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native dropped 27 points, going 11-of-14 from the field, to go along with 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 blocks.

The Hawkeyes then bounced back for an 81-61 win at Penn State, where Gustafson put up 30 points on 13-of-18 shooting with 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks for her NCAA-leading 20th double-double of the season.

Gustafson and Company will be back in action at Carver-Hawkeye on Thursday, as Iowa hosts Michigan State at 8 p.m.