No. 14 Iowa defeated Northwestern 67-58 on the road at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Ava Heiden led the Hawkeyes with 23 points, five rebounds, and an assist. Sophomore Chit-Chat Wright joined Heiden in the double-digits with 12 points, seven assists, and five rebounds.
The Hawkeyes ran to a quick 6-0 lead and Northwestern responded by going on their own 8-0 run. Heiden scored 12-of-13 Iowa points in the quarter, leaving the Hawkeyes with a 13-9 advantage over the Wildcats after the first 10 minutes.
Iowa powered their way through a back-and-forth second quarter against the Wildcats. Five different Hawkeyes worked together to compile 19 points. Seniors Taylor McCabe and Hannah Stuelke scored five points each. Stuelke collected two rebounds as well. Iowa capitalized 10 points on 10 Northwestern turnovers, leaving the Hawkeyes up 32-29 at half.
Out of the half, both teams brought the heat. Heiden led the Hawkeyes with six points, and one assist. Iowa held the Wildcats shooting under 29 percent in the third quarter. The Hawkeyes finished out the quarter on a 6-0 run to lead, 50-44.
The Hawkeyes finished strong in the fourth quarter. Iowa was able to pull themselves to a nine-point lead at the seven-minute mark. Both teams put up back-to-back points to keep the margin in place. The Wildcats were able to get within six with less than two minutes left, but Iowa was able to hold them off.
Up next is Indiana on the road Jan. 11 in Bloomington at 4 p.m. Hawkeye hoops coverage is brought to you by Muscatine Power and Water, Meineke Muffler, Community Health Care Dental Clinic, the 2026 Mississippi Valley Fair and Ed Morse Chevy, Buick and GMC.
