(Iowa City, IA) — 14th ranked Iowa women’s basketball defended their home court beat #20 Nebraska 86-76 in a New Year’s Day battle on Thursday.
The Huskers came out of the gate and scored the game’s first 8 points — a three from Jessica Petrie, a 15 footer from Callin Hake and another three from Eliza Maupin. With Nebraska up 17-9, Iowa made a mini 6-0 run to cut the lead to 2 on a Chazadi Wright three pointer. Hake answered with a quick jumper but Taylor McCabe cut it to one with a three. The Huskers led 21-18 after one quarter.
A Wright three tied the game to start the 2nd quarter and a Ava Heiden lay-up gave Iowa their first lead 23-21. The game went back and forth with nobody leading by more than 3 points in the quarter and Nebraska held a 45-44 advantage at the half.
Iowa started to take control when Taylor McCabe’s lay-up started the scoring in the third quarter to give the Hawkeyes a 46-45 lead. Nebraska was 1-5 on their first shots of the 2nd half — a Britt Prince three cut the Iowa lead to 52-50 midway through the third. Every time Nebraska got a key basket, Iowa seemed to answer back and led 64-61 at the end of three.
Nebraska kept it a one possession game early in the 4th quarter but with 4:58 left, Logan Nissley for the Huskers missed a three and McCabe converted a 24 foot three pointer on the other end to give Iowa a 74-70 lead with 4:32 remaining. Nebraska did not make a field goal for nearly the last 5 minutes until a lay up with 29 seconds left. Wright dominated down the stretch, scoring Iowa’s final 6 points and going 4-4 from the free throw line.
Wright led Iowa (12-2, 3-0) with 24 points while Hannah Steulke had 21 and Ava Heiden added 18 points. Stuelke had a double double with 10 rebounds. Taylor Strenlow had 8 points, 8 assists and 3 steals.
Prince led Nebraska (12-2, 1-2) with 27 points, Petrie had 17, and Maupin had a double double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
