No. 23 Iowa women’s basketball takes down Northwestern in overtime
Iowa women’s basketball defeated Northwestern, 72-67, on Friday, snapping a three-game losing streak against the Wildcats.
Northwestern foward Courtney Shaw goes up for a layup against Iowa center Monika Czinano during a women’s basketball game between No. 22 Iowa and Northwestern at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022. The Wildcats defeated the Hawkeyes, 77-69. Shaw was 1-2 on free throws.
January 28, 2022
Iowa women’s basketball recorded its seventh straight win in a thrilling fashion on Friday night, defeating Northwestern in overtime, 72-67, in Evanston, Illinois.
The Hawkeyes overcame a 14-point deficit to tie the game at the end of the regulation period. Iowa then outscored Northwestern, 11-6, to take the five-point victory.
Sophomore preseason All-American point guard Caitlin Clark made two free throws with four seconds left in the overtime period, sealing the five-point victory for the Hawkeyes. Clark led all scorers with 28 points while grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out five assists.
Senior guard Tomi Taiwo played 25 minutes off the bench, contributing three points, two rebounds, and four assists.
Iowa controlled the glass all evening, tallying 48 rebounds to the Wildcats 31. All nine Hawkeyes that played grabbed at least one rebound.
The Hawkeyes escaped Evanston with the win, but head coach Lisa Bluder’s squad struggled shooting the ball, going 41.4 percent from the field and 33 percent from the 3-point line. Iowa also turned the ball over 25 times. Clark had 11 turnovers on five assists.
Despite the costly turnovers late in regulation, Iowa put the game away by relying on a consistent Hawkeye attribute — free throws. Iowa went 18-for-20 from the charity stripe compared to Northwestern’s 7-of-11.
Big Picture
The Hawkeyes snapped a three-game losing streak to the Wildcats on Friday night, spanning back to the 2020-21 season.
Iowa is now 14-4 on the season and 8-1 in the Big Ten — good for third in the conference. Indiana leads the league with a 6-0 record, while Michigan is in second with a 9-1 conference record.
Monika, Monika, Monika
Senior center Monika Czinano recorded her second career double-double against the Wildcats, registering 24 points while grabbing a career-high 16 rebounds — including seven offensive boards.
Czinano has scored more than 20 points in three straight games. She bucketed 25 points against Illinois on Jan. 23 and 24 points on Jan. 25.
Up Next
No. 23 Iowa will host No. 22 Ohio State at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Monday.
The Buckeyes are 15-4 overall and 7-3 in the Big Ten after falling to No. 7 Michigan, 77-58, on Thursday.
Ohio State junior guard Jacy Sheldon has averaged 20.9 points per game in 2021-22. Sheldon was a 2021 second-team All-Big Ten honoree last season.
The Hawkeyes and Buckeyes will tip off at 8 p.m. The game will be aired on Big Ten Network.