The Hawkeyes raced out to a fast start and never looked back, and watched Ava Heiden continue her incredible sophomore campaign.
Playing a college basketball game on a Monday morning is unusual, but Iowa women's basketball's dominance over their border rival Nebraska Cornhuskers hasn't changed.
The Hawkeyes came into Lincoln, Nebraska as winners of 12 out of 14 over the Huskers, and they had little trouble making it 13 of 15 on this day. Iowa started fast and never looked back, taking home an 80-67 win at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Monday.
After losing three straight two weeks ago, the Hawkeyes (20-5, 11-3) have now won two consecutive Quadrant 1` games.
Here are three observations from Iowa's win:
Silent Assassin
This is not Ava Heiden's nickname, but she's ascended to the point where a BLANK-point output is almost an expectation each night. The Hawkeyes did many things right in this win, but Heiden was far and away the best player on the floor on Monday.
Iowa's balanced scoring attack shined the spotlight on many players, but anyone watching this game early in the second quarter looked up and suddenly saw 14 points next to Heiden's name. The 6-foot-4 center was simply getting anything she wanted at the rim, while also showing off her improved midrange jumper.
Heiden's most impressive bucket in the first half may go down as one of the best plays of the Hawkeyes' season. With Iowa leading 33-18, Addie Deal had to get up a shot before the shot clock expired.
Deal's contested prayer fell well short, but it fell right into the waiting arms of Heiden, who snatched it in midair and scored just before the buzzer sounded.
Heiden netted 18 points in the first half alone, and finished with a game-high 27 points and 11 rebounds. Her development is one of the many reasons why Iowa is in a great spot to host an NCAA regional for the fourth time in five years.
Stremlow stirs the drink
Des Moines Register sports columnist Chad Leistikow said it best - sophomore guard Taylor Stremlow is the straw that stirs the drink for Iowa. On a day dominated by Iowa's sophomores (Heiden, Chit-Chat Wright), Stremlow continued to show everyone why Jan Jensen tabbed her to start in place of the injured Taylor McCabe.
As soon as this game tipped off, Stremlow was on fire. The Verona, Wisconsin native made three triples in the first quarter to get Iowa going, and she finished with a season-high (and career-high) 17 points on an efficient 6/7 shooting.
Every underclassmen is bound to show growing pains at some point, but Stremlow is showing no signs of that. She's thriving in the starting lineup, and it comes at a time when the Hawkeyes desperately needed it.
Mature response puts the game away
Iowa has blown several leads in key moments this year - namely the near-collapse at Maryland on Jan. 22 - and Nebraska threatened to add another one to that list early in the third quarter.
The Hawkeyes couldn't buy a bucket for over three minutes, which allowed the Huskers to race out to an 8-0 run and cut the deficit to 51-39 with plenty of time to play. Nebraska nearly rallied from a massive deficit in its previous loss to Minnesota on Feb. 12, so the potential for a comeback at home was definitely on the table.
Jensen called a timeout to settle her young team down, and they responded by putting on an offensive clinic for the remainder of the game. Stremlow broke the seal with a cutting layup, and Wright nailed a transition three to push Iowa's lead back up to 16, and it held a comfortable cushion the rest of the way.
That kind of mature response from a young team is exactly what Jensen wants to see, and it's why the Hawkeyes have been a top-15 squad for much of the season.
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