No. 13 Iowa women's basketball team secured an 80-67 victory over Nebraska on Monday afternoon at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Sophomore Ava Heiden led with 27 points and 11 rebounds in her sixth career double-double. The Hawkeyes extended their winning streak against Big Ten opponents with strong defense and efficient shooting.
The Hawkeyes improved to 20-5 overall and 11-3 in the Big Ten, marking the second time in school history with 10 consecutive 20-win seasons. Nebraska fell to 16-10 overall and 5-10 in conference play.
Iowa jumped out to a 10-0 lead to start the game, capitalizing on five forced turnovers for 10 points. They shot 71.4 percent from the field in the first quarter, building a 25-13 advantage. Sophomore Taylor Stremlow contributed a career-high 17 points, including three 3-pointers on 3-for-4 shooting.
In the second quarter, Heiden dominated with 14 points on 6-for-6 shooting in the paint and four rebounds, helping Iowa extend the lead to 45-27 at halftime. The Hawkeyes limited Nebraska to 50 percent field goal shooting during that period.
The third quarter saw a competitive battle, with Nebraska cutting the deficit to 11 points midway through. Iowa responded with an 11-1 run, capped by a jumper from sophomore Chit-Chat Wright, to lead 69-49 entering the fourth.
Iowa opened the final quarter with a 7-0 run, five points from Heiden, who tied her career-high with 27 points on 12-for-15 shooting. The Hawkeyes scored 27 points off 18 Nebraska turnovers, a season-best against a Big Ten foe.
Wright added 14 points, seven assists and four rebounds, while Journey Houston scored 10 points. Hannah Stuelke contributed seven points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Iowa leads the all-time series 27-17 and has won 13 of the last 15 meetings.
Head coach Jan Jensen became the first in Iowa women's basketball history to reach 20 wins in her first two seasons, joining C. Vivian Stringer as the only coach to do so in their second season. The Hawkeyes remain undefeated at 16-0 when leading at halftime this season and improved to 22-2 when scoring 80 or more points under Jensen.
