BOX SCORE RECAP: Hawkeyes soar past Murray State, advance at the NCAAT
Some early frustrations with foul trouble for Jan Jensen and Co. quickly subsided in the second half, as the 6th-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes flexed their muscles in a big way, rolling to a 92-57 win over upset-minded 11 seed Murray State. It’s the sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament for the Hawkeyes that has begun with a win.
The Hawkeyes dealt with plenty of foul trouble early, but freshman Ava Heiden and Taylor Stremlow stepped up off the bench combining for 21 points in the first half. Murray State hung around keeping the deficit within a couple of possessions, but Lucy Olsen got things going in the second quarter with eight points. A momentum turning 7-0 run over the 1:21 of the half gave Iowa a 42-30 advantage at the break. MSU star Katelyn Young went down with an ankle injury early in the second half and the Racers couldn’t overcome that loss. The Hawkeyes outscored the Racers 30-10 in the third quarter, leading to a stressless fourth quarter.
Iowa scored 92 points on 77 possessions (1.195 points per possession), while shooting 41 of 73 (56.2%) from the floor, 8 of 17 (47.1%) from three-point range and 2 of 4 (50.0%) from the free throw line. Five Hawkeyes scored in double figures, led by Ava Heiden, who finished with 15 points and seven rebounds. Lucy Olsen tallied a double-double 12 points and a season-high 12 assists. Hannah Stuelke (11), Syd Affolter (11), Taylor Stremlow (10) and Taylor McCabe (9) followed in the scoring column.
Murray State scored 57 points on 73 possessions (0.781 points per possession), while shooting 19 of 62 (30.6%) from the floor, 5 of 30 (16.7%) from three-point range and 14 of 19 (73.7%) from the free throw line. Waterloo native Halli Poock led the Racers with 15 points, while Ava Learn added eight points and ten rebounds.
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An area of intrigue coming into the game was three-point shooting, with the Racers averaging 10.3 triples per game, but that threat never materialized. Murray State started 2/25 from behind the arc and made a season-low five three-pointers, with the Hawkeyes outscoring them 24-15 in that category.
On the glass, Iowa outrebounded the Racers 44-32, pulling down 34 of 43 (79.1%) defensive rebounds and 10 of 33 (30.3%) offensive rebounds. Both teams committed 15 turnovers, while the Hawkeyes won the points off turnovers/second chance points battle 27-15.
BOX SCORE: IOWA 92 MURRAY STATE 57
