LINCOLN, Neb. – Looking to build off of its previous win, the Iowa women’s basketball team took down rival Nebraska with ease, 80-67, Monday afternoon at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Shooting an elite 60 percent from the field, the Hawkeyes took a commanding lead early and never looked back.
Ava Heiden put on a show for the traveling Hawkeye fans, matching her career-high 27 points, 14 of which came in the second quarter. The sophomore owned the paint with 11 rebounds as well to earn her sixth double-double of the season, and her first since Nov. 30 against Fairfield.
“Her athleticism and her foot speed is pretty extraordinary,” Iowa head coach Jan Jensen said.
Fellow sophomores Taylor Stremlow and Chit-Chat Wright had strong performances of their own. Stremlow provided a career-high 17 points while Wright tallied 14 and a team-high seven assists.
“My shot felt pretty good today, that was exciting,” Stremlow said. “Hitting a couple threes, making some good reads and lobs.”
Freshman Journey Houston scored 10 of Iowa’s bench points and recorded her sixth double-digit performance of the season
Iowa’s offense came out hot in the first quarter in the buildup to its 25-13 lead at the first break. The Hawkeyes shot 71 percent from the field and 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. Following a Taylor Stremlow three to cap a 10-0 run for the Hawkeyes, the Iowa fans who made the trip filled Pinnacle Bank Arena with a “Let’s go Hawks” chant.
Stremlow led Iowa’s scorers in the first quarter with nine points from 3-of-3 shooting from long range.
Iowa locked down defensively, allowing only 13 points and chipping in 10 points off turnovers in the quarter.
With 5:26 to go in the second quarter, Iowa first-year Addie Deal threw up a shot attempt to try and beat the shot clock, but it was blocked. As it still sailed towards the basket well short of the rim and even backboard, Heiden grabbed it in mid-air and threw up a reverse layup just milliseconds before the horn. Her shot found the bottom of the net and extended Iowa’s lead to 35-18 midway through the second quarter.
“I need to get a clip of that; that was so fun,” Heiden joked after the game.
The Hawkeyes continued to extend their lead throughout the second quarter, entering the half up 15/ Heiden’s 18 points led all scorers.
Following a Nebraska 8-0 run in the third quarter that cut Iowa’s lead to 12, Husker fans had a new sense of energy, rising to their feet as Jan Jensen called a timeout to stem the bleeding. However, Iowa regained control quickly, re-extending its lead to 20 at the end of the third quarter.
The Hawkeyes controlled the game in the fourth quarter, only easing up in the final two minutes.
Iowa dominated down low, leading the battle of points in the paint, 44-28. The Hawkeyes have now held each of their last two opponents to 67 points or less, continuing their defensive hot streak. Iowa recorded 27 points off turnovers on Monday.
“Control the controllables,” Jensen said. “I told the team that the team that handles it the best is going to be the happiest at the end of it.”
Up Next
Iowa travels to West Lafayette, Indiana, where it’ll take on the 12-13 Purdue on Thursday, Feb. 19, at 6 p.m. on Big Ten Plus. The Boilermakers sit at 14th in the Big Ten with a 4-10 mark. Junior guard Tara Daye leads the team with 12.2 points and 6.6 assists per game.