Hawkeyes outduel hot-shooting Northwestern

Although there’s plenty of excitement surrounding the festivities that will ensue on Sunday when fourth-ranked USC comes to town, Tuesday’s contest against Northwestern (7-12, 0-8) delivered its fair share of thrills. Despite sitting at 0-7 in Big Ten play, the visiting ‘Cats refused to go away and their bid at a shocking upset was still alive with seconds to play.

A pair of clutch made free throws from Hannah Stuelke with 8.9 to play was enough for the Hawkeyes (14-7, 4-6) to escape with an 85-80 win. With many Iowa supporters expecting a relaxing, uneventful win, it was a good reminder that any team, on any given night can provide a worthwhile scare.

“Whatever is on the front of that jersey, to me, it just says tough opponent. The Big Ten is one of the best conferences in the country. I’m a really big believer in respecting every opponent, especially Joe McKeown,” said head coach Jan Jensen. “We need to celebrate what we do well and if this team can get a win, I’m on board, I’m not going to give it style point critiques.”

The Wildcats came into the night listed as 22.5-point underdogs and winless in Big Ten play. However, the Northwestern team that took the floor was keen on trying to do something Iowa had done just a few nights prior. End a lengthy losing skid. Joe McKeown’s team gave a spirited effort.

They came out of the gates on fire, with three separate players pouring in three-pointers in the opening five minutes to help them open up an early 14-5 lead. A midrange jumper from Grace Sullivan extended the ‘Cats lead to 20-10, but they were unable to keep the Hawkeyes quiet on the offensive end for long.

Freshman Taylor Stremlow provided a spark, putting up five points and two assists late in the quarter, while a buzzer beater triple from Aaliyah Guyton cut the deficit to 23-20 after ten minutes. Northwestern knocked down their season average for threes in the first quarter, but the late 10-3 run stabilized things for the Hawkeyes.

Hannah Stuelke, who missed the west coast swing due to a concussion suffered against Nebraska, returned with a vengeance. She exploded for 14 points in the second quarter to give Iowa a 41-38 halftime lead. She spoke after the game about her experience watching the team on TV and how it fueled her for her return.

“It was really weird watching them and yelling at the TV because I’ve never experienced that before,” said Stuelke. “I missed the girls a lot and it was just really nice to be back out on the court with them.”

Iowa never trailed in the second half but never had a lead comfortable enough to sit back and relax. On a couple of occasions, the Hawkeyes threatened to pull away, but Northwestern was pesky and hung around, keeping it tight.

An 11-4 run at the tail end of the third quarter and into the fourth quarter, fueled by three-point makes from Lucy Olsen, Aaliyah Guyton and Syd Affolter put Iowa in front 67-58. Caroline Lau quickly answered with a triple of her own to pull Northwestern back within two possessions.

As much as the Wildcats didn’t flinch and let the game get out of hand, Jan Jensen’s squad refused to falter like they have in several losses this season. A 77-65 lead was quickly cut down to 77-70 on a Lau three and a Caileigh Walsh jumper, but out of a timeout, the Hawkeyes got it to Hannah Stuelke and she converted a big basket to thwart Northwestern’s momentum.

“I think we executed and listened a little bit better with things we wanted to do at the end of the game,” said Jensen. “We’ve blown some things (in other games). They did pretty well for the most part tonight. I think that was just a lot of growth. There was a lot more attention to detail, and I think they got a little bit more confidence and kind of leaned into the moment instead of being on our heels.”

The closing moments called for attention to detail, as the ‘Cats managed to cut the lead to 83-80 with 11.0 to play after a contested three from Caileigh Walsh fell. This time, the Hawkeyes did what the situation called for to close out a game. They made free throws. After collapsing at the line in their loss to Nebraska, they were 12/12 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter. Aaliyah Guyton made four big ones, while Hannah Stuelke made the game-clinching ones with 8.9 to play.

“It’s everything,” said Stuelke referring to being trusted to make late game free throws. “Knowing my history with the free throws, my whole life history actually, I’ve always struggled. That’s all I worked on this summer, and I feel more confident in myself, and my teammates are confident in me.”

On the night, Iowa shot 29 of 60 (48.3%) from the floor and 9 of 22 (40.9%) from three-point range. Hannah Stuelke finished with a season-high 26 points, while Lucy Olsen added 16 points, five rebounds and six assists. Syd Affolter and Aaliyah Guyton got the three-ball rolling, combing for six made triples and 28 points.

Up Next: The Hawkeyes will host the fourth-ranked USC Trojans inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday. Tipoff is set for 12:30pm CT on FOX.