Despite travel-related issues caused by the winter ice storms that impacted the Midwest recently, Iowa women’s basketball (16-7, 6-6 Big Ten) escaped victoriously at Minnesota (18-6, 6-6) by a score of 68-60 on Thursday night from Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minn., for their fourth consecutive victory.
While both teams shared their respective scoring runs, Iowa held the shooting advantage by making 24-of-58 (41.4%) from the field, 6-of-20 (30.0%) from deep, and 14-of-22 (63.6%) from the charity stripe. The Hawkeyes also held a wide margin in point production from fastbreak transition opportunities by outscoring Minnesota, 11-2.
Defensively, the Hawkeyes forced 11 Golden Gopher turnovers, including three steals and three blocks.
Iowa’s win against Minnesota extended the Hawkeyes’ winning streak against the Golden Gophers to 11 games and gave them their 12th consecutive victory in the Twin Cities, including two Big Ten Tournament Championships.
With Iowa on their longest conference winning streak of the season, here are the three stars from Thursday night that helped the Hawkeyes claim victory over Minnesota.
Hannah Stuelke
Stuelke was a force for the Hawkeyes Thursday night as she finished with a team-leading 17 points off 7-for-11 (63.6%) shooting from the field and 3-for-7 (42.9%) from the free throw line. Stuelke scored nine of her 17 in the fourth quarter, too. The junior forward also recorded seven rebounds and two assists in her 23 minutes of action.
Stuelke also hit a career milestone early in the first quarter as her putback off the glass following a missed Lucy Olsen shot allowed her to surpass 1,000 career points. She becomes the 44th Hawkeye to record 1,000+ career points in their career.
While she did foul out with 46 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Stuelke’s performance is another steady showing from a dependable offensive weapon and one the Hawkeyes will need to continue down the stretch of the season.
Lucy Olsen
While not as potent offensively as she was against USC, Olsen still finished with 14 points off 5-for-15 (33.3%) shooting from the field, 1-for-4 (25.0%) from deep, and 3-for-4 (75.0%) from the charity stripe in her 39 minutes of action. She also registered a team-leading seven assists, four rebounds, and two blocks to close out her busy night.
Like Stuelke, Olsen’s offensive production is a major part of the Hawkeyes’ ability to compete against the rugged Big Ten conference and will need to continue as Iowa continues its NCAA tournament push.
Sydney Affolter
Affolter had a monstrous performance against Minnesota as she registered 13 points off 4-of-9 (44.4%) shooting from the floor, 3-of-5 (60.0%) from long range, and 2-of-3 (66.7%) from the free throw line. Where she stood out the most was her dominant defensive presence as she secured 14 rebounds (2 offensive, 12 defensive) and two steals to go along with two assists in 35 minutes.
Affolter’s defensive prowess has been one the Hawkeyes have thoroughly enjoyed. The program hopes the trend continues as it faces a tough stretch of games against some of the nation’s top teams.
Iowa will have a few days off before traveling to Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb., for a rivalry matchup vs. Nebraska (16-7, 7-5) on Monday night.
Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT and will be broadcast nationally on the Big Ten Network (BTN).
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Three stars from Iowa women’s basketball’s road triumph vs Minnesota
