History of Iowa women in Big Ten Tournament Championship
No. 10 Iowa women’s basketball plays in the Big Ten Tournament Championship for the first time since 2014 on Sunday night.
Iowa players and fans cheer during the women’s Big Ten tournament basketball game vs. Rutgers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Saturday, March 9, 2019. The Hawkeyes defeated the Scarlet Knights 72-67 and will be moving on to the championship game against Maryland.
March 10, 2019
In honor of the Iowa women’s basketball team playing in this year’s Big Ten Tournament Championship game, The Daily Iowan takes a look at the four other times Iowa made it to the big game.
1997 Big Ten Tournament
In the season prior, Iowa finished with one of the best regular seasons in program history with a 27-4 record (15-1), but were upset in the semi-finals by Purdue. So despite their 18-12 (9-7 in Big Ten) record in the 96-97 season, the Hawkeyes entered the tournament hankering for some revenge. They breezed through the first two rounds, winning each game by double digits, landing them in the championship game against No. 18 Illinois. Angela Hamblin, who had 14 points and 10 rebounds, won Tournament MVP leading Iowa to a 63-56 upset victory. The win not only won the Hawkeyes their first Big Ten Tournament title, but also gave them a desperately-needed automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
2001 Big Ten Tournament
In the 2000-20001 season, the Iowa women’s basketball team posted a 21-10 record—including a 12-4 Big Ten record—in what was current head coach Lisa Bluder’s first season. The Hawkeyes’ impressive regular season record landed them a No. 2 seed in the Tournament which helped them get past Indiana and Illinois in the first two rounds. That set up a championship game No. 7 Purdue. Iowa’s Cara Consuegra put up 17 points in on her 22nd birthday to earn her MVP of the Tournament in a 75-70 Hawkeye victory. This was the last time Iowa won the Big Ten Tournament.
2010 Big Ten Tournament
After an eight-year absence, Iowa found itself back in the Big Ten Tournament Championship game after putting up a 20-14 record (10-8 in the Big Ten). That was good enough for a No. 3 seed in the Tournament. Two close wins against Penn State and No. 23 Michigan State put them back in the championship game. Unfortunately, this final didn’t end in jubilation. Instead, Iowa tasted a bitter 66-64 last-second defeat at the hands of No. 10 Ohio State.
2014 Big Ten Tournament
Iowa’s 2013-2014 season marked the seventh-straight season where Bluder led her team to at least 19 wins, finishing with an overall record of 27-9 (11-5 in the Big Ten). Despite Iowa’s superb record, a competitive Big Ten saw the Hawkeyes seeded No. 5 in the tournament. Still, Iowa was able to win three straight games against Illinois, No. 16 Purdue and Ohio State to seal a spot in the Championship game against No. 15 Nebraska. Even though Iowa had three players make the all-tournament team (Ally Disterhoft, Sam Logic, and Bethany Doolittle), it wasn’t enough to overcome its foul trouble. The Hawkeyes were defeated 72-65.
2019 Big Ten Tournament
That brings us to this season, where No. 10 Iowa has posted a 25-6 record (14-4 Big Ten) and have taken down Indiana and Rutgers in the Hawkeyes first two games. They’re now set to take on No. 8 Maryland Sunday night at 5 p.m. (Iowa time)—the game will be televised on ESPN2.
Make sure to follow The Daily Iowan on Twitter and on Facebook for more coverage and follow Zuniga (@j_zuni), Mills (@General_Mills98) and Iacopetti (@NIDITVSports) for live updates throughout the game.
