Women’s basketball bounces back with big win over Badgers

After a tough loss on the road, Iowa used a complete performance to extend its home winning streak to 34 games.

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Megan Nagorzanski

Iowa guard Kathleen Doyle shoots during a women’s basketball game between Iowa and Nebraska at Carver Hawkeye Arena on Monday Feb. 6, 2020. The Hawkeyes defeated the Cornhuskers 76-60.

Ben Palya, Sports Reporter


After the heavy beating Iowa took at College Park the last time it took the court, the team bounced back like the game never even happened.

The Hawkeyes never looked back and took it to Wisconsin, defeating the Badgers, 97-71.

“It was definitely fun to be back on our own court, and we had such great attendance from them today,” Iowa’s Kathleen Doyle said. “We have the best fans in the nation, so it was really fun to get back out there and have a good bounce-back game.”

Iowa came out hot offensively, going on an 8-1 run at the beginning of the game thanks to four points from Kathleen Doyle. Gabbie Marshall produced a strong start, as well, with the freshman making a dramatic layup before a deep three just 30 seconds later.

Wisconsin began to cause problems early in the second quarter. The Badgers pulled within six after a mix of excellent post play and some successful shooting from deep. Iowa would regain control, however, after a flurry of 3’s from Meyer and Warnock ballooned the lead up to 18 late in the second quarter.

Warnock had another brilliant game coming off the bench, scoring 20 points and nailing a career-high four 3’s. As she continues to grow into her important role on the team, her teammates have been key in helping her develop into the athlete she is now.

“You learn a lot, especially when you have such good leaders on the team,” Warnock said. “We have amazing seniors and coaching staff, so they just give you a bunch of confidence”

The first half had a frantic feel that carried its way into the second half for Wisconsin, but not Iowa. Although the game felt like a track meet, Iowa had one of its most efficient quarters of the season. The Hawkeyes shot an incredibly efficient 81.8 percent on 11 shots while keeping turnovers to a minimum.

Although it was a slow fourth quarter, Iowa managed to get over the line. The team finished on a 17-3 run with many of Iowa’s reserve players stepping in and shining. Players such as Megan Meyer and Logan Cook got on the board and contributed in a big way.

A big scare came with just under four minutes left in the game, when Doyle took a hard fall near the Wisconsin sideline. The senior exited the game but appeared to be fine after a short medical checkout on the sideline.

Individually, everyone stepped up on the offensive end with the starters playing to their true potential. Doyle continued to make clutch shots and drive to the basket, Meyer was lethal from deep, and Czinano controlled the offensive paint.

“Four people in double figures today,” Bluder said. “I like that balance. We shot the ball well from every area.”

Iowa gets a midweek break for the first time during the Big Ten gauntlet, something that Bluder is looking forward to utilizing.

“It gives us a day,” Bluder said. “As we have an extra day to prepare for Penn State that we can also work on ourselves, and it’s been a long time since we’ve been able to work on ourselves.”