It was Senior Day at Iowa but it was sophomore Ava Heiden that took over a hotly contested defensive game to power the Hawkeyes to a dominating fourth quarter and a big 62-44 win over the No.6 ranked Wolverines. Iowa came into this matchup with a five game winning streak against Michigan hoping to continue their resurgence after three losses knocked them out of a tie for the Big Ten lead. Early on it was a story of turnovers and jump balls as Michigan pressed Iowa on every possession but eventually Iowa calmed down on offense with Heiden got open under the hoop to start Iowa’s scoring, and five different Hawkeyes went on to contribute to the first quarter points. The Hawkeyes were able to bank nine points on 11 turnovers from the Wolverines. A defensive dominant quarter left Iowa tied 12-12 stalemate with Michigan.
In the 50th consecutive sellout for Iowa women’s basketball, the Hawkeyes led at halftime 27-20 behind smothering Michigan style defense and key three point shots by Taylor Stremlow and Kylie Feuerbach to build a lead of as many as 11 points. But Michigan would battle to stay close and cut the lead to seven on a Olivia Olson to end the half. Stuelke led with four points and six rebounds, and Iowa pulled down a collective 19 rebounds in the first half. The Hawkeyes left Michigan with just eight second quarter points, shooting 23.5 percent from the field. At halftime the two teams had committed 39 turnovers mostly from pressure defensive from both teams.
In the second half Heiden scored 20 of her 24 points in the second half adding 10 rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Senior Hannah Stuelke had her own double-double on the day with 11 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. Heiden scored Iowa’s first three baskets of the third quarter and brought down four rebounds. The Hawkeyes fought through a defensive battle forcing three more Michigan turnovers. Senior Kylie Feuerbach drained a crucial three-point basket at the buzzer as the quarter ended, up 42-35.
Iowa finished the fourth quarter strong. The Hawkeyes shot 71.4 percent from the field. Heiden added 12 more points (6-for-6), one block and one steal. Iowa held Michigan to just nine quarter points, shooting 23.1 percent from the field. The Hawkeyes finished their senior day on a 10-2 run in the last three and a half minutes to close out a 62-44 win.
