The Bruins blitzed the Hawkeyes from the opening tip, ending the first quarter on a 22-2 run to clinch their second straight Big Ten tournament title.
The No. 2-seeded Iowa women's basketball team couldn't overcome an early avalanche from the top-seeded UCLA Bruins, falling 96-45 in the Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis on Sunday afternoon.
The Bruins (31-1) blasted Iowa (26-6) in the previous meeting between the two teams on Feb. 1, and they were too much for the young Hawkeyes team yet again at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
UCLA's length prevented Iowa from getting into any offensive rhythm in the first half, as the Hawkeyes shot just 25% in the first half and committed 11 turnovers.
First Half
Iowa really was playing with house money in this one. Jan Jensen's team was obviously gunning for another Big Ten tournament title, but the Hawkeyes have outperformed expectations this year. On the flip side, the Bruins had to play with the pressure of completing an undefeated sweep of the Big Ten regular season and tournament championships.
UCLA has proved it can beat teams in many ways this season, but its intimidating size has flustered opponents all year. Taylor Stremlow brought the Iowa crowd to its feet with a triple to open the game, but the Bruins responded by forcing five Iowa turnovers en route to an 11-0 run over a 4:20 stretch to gain momentum.
Ava Heiden ended Iowa's field goal drought with a layup at the 2:41 mark, but the Hawkeyes couldn't get any closer and trailed 22-5 (UCLA finished the quarter on a 22-2 run) after one.
If the first quarter was bad, the second period was even worse for Iowa. UCLA wasn't overpowering the Hawkeyes, but Iowa derailed any chance of getting back in the game because of self-inflicted turnovers that led to fast break opportunities for the Bruins.
When the half was finally over, UCLA held a comfortable 42-20 lead.
Second Half
The Bruins opened the second half on a 7-0 run to further dig the Hawkeyes into a hole, and with such a large deficit to climb out of, the game was all but over.
UCLA continued to run away with the game and celebrated its second straight Big Ten tournament title.
Up Next
Iowa will have a week off before it finds out where it will be seeded in the 2026 NCAA tournament. The latest bracketology updates from various outlets list the Hawkeyes as a No. 2 seed, but Iowa is almost guaranteed to host the first and second rounds in Iowa City either way.
The NCAA selection show will begin at 7 p.m. CST on ESPN.
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