A 9-0 run off the opening tip spiraled into a 70-point rout for the Iowa women’s basketball team Sunday afternoon against Evansville at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes defeated the Purple Aces, 119-43, setting a program record for most points scored in one game.
“I thought we would have a victory, but not overconfident,” Iowa head coach Jan Jensen said postgame. “I wanted it to be a game in which we were, at the end of it, we could all feel good about it, every position, the coaches, the people who oversee defense, the people who oversee offense. And I think we were able to that.”
Six Hawkeyes scored in double figures as the team shot an impressive 53.8 percent from beyond the arc.
Iowa second-years Chazadi “Chit-Chat” Wright and Ava Heiden each finished with a double-double, with Wright posting 16 points and 10 assists while Heiden tallied 14 points and 10 rebounds.
“Just going out there and playing freely, just going out there pushing the pace,” Wright said. “Making sure we see the bigs, just making the right play.”
First-years Layla Hays and Addie Deal finished with career-highs in scoring. Hays dominated in the post with a team-high 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting while collecting three boards. Deal scored 11 points and knocked down a pair of three-pointers.
Iowa started hot in both halves with exquisite up-tempo play, highlighted by assists from Wright to Hannah Stuelke. Each period started with at least a 9-0 run. Stuelke returned the favor to Wright with a cross-court pass off a steal, one of 11 for the Hawkeyes on the day.
The Iowa defense proved stout, holding Evansville to 26.2 field goal percentage.
“I love the fact how we started out defensively,” Jensen said. “To really earn a dominant performance, but doing that at every position and just setting a tone.”
The Hawkeyes saw improved three-point shooting in the first half. After missing its first 10 attempts from long range in its last game, Iowa made five of its first 11 triples, including two apiece from Wright and Taylor McCabe.
Related: Photos: Iowa women’s basketball vs. Evansville
Hays provided instant offense off the bench, connecting on 4-of-5 field goal attempts for eight points in just six minutes.
Iowa ended the first half with the same dominance as its opening, as Wright’s free-throws closed out a 13-0 Iowa run. The Hawkeyes connected on all six of their final field goal attempts, including three-pointers from Taylor Stremlow and Deal off the bench.
Iowa shot 60 percent from the floor and from beyond the arc in the first half, not to mention more than doubling Evansville in the rebounds department. Five different Hawkeyes grabbed at least three rebounds during the first half as Iowa’s 59-22 lead at the break morphed to a Sunday afternoon laugher.
Up Next
Iowa next hosts Drake, head coach Jan Jensen’s alma mater, on Thursday, Nov. 13, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Action begins at 7:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network. The Bulldogs are 1-0 on the year heading into an afternoon matchup against Creighton.
Iowa has won the last seven contests against Drake, which rosters the younger sister of Taylor McCabe. Peyton McCabe, a sophomore, recorded 10 assists in the Bulldogs’ season-opening victory.