Iowa made all of its last nine field goals and shot at a 48 percent clip in total, while sophomore Ava Heiden contributed a double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds. The Hawkeyes are 22-5 overall, as well as 13-3 in Big Ten action.
Iowa women's basketball bested a visiting No. 6 Michigan squad in a gritty 62-44 victory at Carver-Hawkeye Arena Sunday.
Sophomore Ava Heiden led all scorers, notching a double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Hannah Stuelke, honored after the game as one of four graduating seniors, also grabbed a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds.
"I think I've been through a lot here and I've kind of grown up the past four years," Stuelke said. "It's been really special for me, and being at Carver is a big part of that."
First Half
While some may have been expecting a hot start from either of the two top-15 teams, over two minutes had passed before Michigan got on the board first with a shot from downtown. Prior to that shot, the Hawkeyes and the Wolverines picked up two turnovers each.
The two squads were neck and neck throughout the first half, with Michigan stretching out to an early 6-3 lead after an and-one. Iowa gradually found their rhythm in the first quarter, however, with a traveling violation giving the Hawkeyes the ball, after which sophomore Taylor Stremlow buried a deep shot from downtown.
Iowa shot 35.7 percent in field goals in the first half, including a 27.3 percent clip from beyond the arc. These figures were both greater than Michigan's 30 percent field goal accuracy, as well as 20 percent from downtown.
Throughout the first half, however, the Hawkeyes collected 13 turnovers and six personal fouls, including two fouls each on sophomore Chazadi "Chit-Chat" Wright and freshman Addie Deal. For their part, the Wolverines picked up 16 turnovers and eight personal fouls.
While the first quarter ended in a 12-12 deadlock, Iowa pulled away in the second quarter, outscoring Michigan, 15-8, owing largely to a 7-0 run early in the quarter. As the half drew to a close, however, the Hawkeyes ended with a 2:44 scoring drought, while the Wolverines made only one of their last seven field goals.
At the end of the first half, both teams took to the locker rooms, Iowa equipped with a 27-20 lead.
"I think [it] wasn't real pretty at the beginning, right?" head coach Jan Jensen said. "I think both teams were pretty tight. We both played pretty hard defensively, and I think everybody was just tight."
Second Half
The scoring came early and often to start the second half, with sophomore Ava Heiden putting up three consecutive shots for the Hawkeyes to reach double figures.
"I think as a team, we pride ourselves on our blue collar work ethic, both defensively and offensively," Heiden said. "It's really easy to use that to our advantage, going up strong and playing together as a team."
Sophomore Callie Levin also checked into the game for Iowa, making quick work of a buzzer-beating jumper in the paint to draw another roar from the Hawkeye faithful. After two quick threes from the Wolverines in a span of less than 30 seconds, however, Jensen called a timeout.
With their last possession of the third quarter, Michigan swished in a three to cut the Iowa lead to 39-35. In response, graduate Kylie Feuerbach drained a three of her own, extending the Hawkeye lead to seven.
Michigan's shooters heated up throughout the second half, improving upon their first half three-point percentage at a 36 percent clip. However, the Hawkeye defense allowed few other opportunities for the Wolverines to put points on the board, limiting Michigan's overall field goal percentage to 31 percent.
As the end of the game drew nearer, Iowa embarked on a critical run wherein the Hawkeyes made all of their last nine field goals. Aided by Heiden crossing the 20-point threshold and cries of 'Let's go Hawks!' echoing throughout the arena, Iowa closed out the 62-44 victory.
Up next
Iowa will play its last home game of the regular season, on Feb. 26 against a visiting Illinois squad. The game is set to tip off at 8:00 p.m. local time, with coverage provided by the Big Ten Network and the Hawkeye Radio Network.