Iowa picked up a hard-fought, big-time road victory at Minnesota on Thursday night, topping the Gophers, 68-60, from inside Williams Arena.
With the win, Iowa improved to 16-7 overall and evened its Big Ten record at 6-6. The Hawkeyes have suddenly won four straight.
Iowa rode a big day from its starting five en route to a key road victory that goes a long way in enhancing the Hawkeyes’ NCAA Tournament resume. As the Hawkeyes collect their latest win, let’s dive into five thoughts from Iowa’s victory.
Iowa women’s basketball found resolve
After building a comfortable 13-point lead at one point, Iowa had to make plays late to win it. The Hawkeyes led by 13 twice.
Iowa jumped in front 27-14 with 3:31 in the first half and had a 34-21 lead with 8:39 left in the third quarter on a layup from senior guard Lucy Olsen. But, Minnesota responded with a 6-1 run to close the third frame and then pulled even at 51 apiece with 4:33 remaining.
The Hawkeyes responded, though. Junior forward Hannah Stuelke made the first of two free throws to put Iowa back in front. Then, senior guard Sydney Affolter ripped down an offensive rebound as Stuelke missed the second charity stripe offering.
Senior guard Kylie Feuerbach drew a shooting foul and knocked down both free throws. Stuelke delivered a pair of key buckets on the Hawkeyes’ ensuing two possessions.
Then, Affolter and junior guard Taylor McCabe drilled big 3-pointers to ice the victory for the Hawks.
Sydney Affolter was magical
Affolter splashed the big 3-pointer late. But, her contributions were so much larger than that. Any celebration of individual performances at Minnesota has to begin with Affolter.
The 5-foot-11 guard collected her third double-double of the season, finishing with 13 points and 14 boards. The Chicago native knocked down a trio of 3-pointers and shot 4-of-9 from the floor on the night.
Affolter’s work on the glass was a key difference maker.
Iowa won this game on the glass, with defense
A big tip of the cap again to Affolter who set the tone on the glass, but Iowa collectively was great rebounding the basketball against the Gophers. The Hawkeyes outrebounded Minnesota, 44-33.
Iowa limited Minnesota’s second-chance opportunities, too. The Gophers had just six offensive rebounds on the evening compared to Iowa’s 11. Iowa’s ability to make Minnesota a one-and-done offense was pivotal in this one.
The Hawkeyes also built themselves some breathing room with their defense. Iowa held Minnesota to 35% field goal shooting and 25% 3-point shooting on the night.
Those numbers were even better for the black and gold in the first quarter. Iowa jumped in front 18-7 after one quarter of play as it limited Minnesota to 3-of-12 shooting from the field (25.0%) and 1-of-7 from beyond the arc (14.3%).
Iowa valued the rock
The Hawkeyes have had their issues with turnovers this season. Iowa did a solid job in that department on Thursday night, turning over the basketball just 14 times. In a road environment for a team that has been turnover-prone at times, that’s really not a bad number at all.
The Hawkeyes were even with Minnesota in the points off turnovers category. Each team finished with nine points off turnovers.
Iowa’s starters, veterans delivered
Though Iowa’s bench, depth and youth has been very effective over the course of this season, it was the Hawkeyes’ veterans and starting five that did the heavy lifting in their latest victory.
Iowa head women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen rode what was working and stuck with her first five for the most part.
Olsen (39), Affolter (35) and McCabe (30) all finished with 30-plus minutes in the contest, while fellow starters Feuerbach (28) and Stuelke (23) with both north of 20. Each of those starters had key contributions in the win.
Stuelke led the way with a game-high 17 points, including nine in the fourth quarter. Olsen (14), Feuerbach (13) and Affolter (13) all scored in double-figures. McCabe had just the one bucket, but it was her aforementioned late 3-pointer that essentially iced the victory.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Five thoughts as Iowa women’s basketball wins vs Minnesota
