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By DARREN MILLER
hawkeyesports.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Indoor track doesn’t officially begin at the University of Iowa until Jan. 13, but the Hawkeye women’s basketball team out-raced Northern Illinois, 105-80, on Wednesday on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
It was a game where points in the paint proved more valuable than points from beyond the arc — Iowa scored 52 points in the paint, Northern Illinois scored 42 points via the long ball.
“That was a track meet out there,” Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said. “I think we’re going to have some tired legs tomorrow. Both teams pushed the ball extremely well.”
The Hawkeyes remain undefeated at 3-0 overall, Northern Illinois falls to 1-1.
Iowa’s point total was its most in three years and two away from tying the school record of 107 points in a game; the 29 assists are three short of a school record.
Six Hawkeyes scored in double figures; Tania Davis (12 points, 10 rebounds) and Megan Gustafson (22 points, 11 rebounds) had double-doubles. Makenzie Meyer handed out a game-high eight assists and Davis added seven.
“It’s more fun than when someone scores you walk it up and wait to play defense,” said Chase Coley, who scored 20 points with seven rebounds. “It’s fun to get out and run and push the ball in transition. This team is good at that, so it’s fun. Especially when we can execute on both ends.”
The double-digit rebounding totals from Gustafson and Davis helped Iowa hold a 48-33 edge on the glass.
Courtney Woods led the Huskies with 20 points. She was 4 of 9 from 3-point range.
STATISTIC OF THE GAME
There were several in a game that featured 185 points and 56 3-point field goal attempts. In the end, the shooting percentages are what carried the Hawkeyes — 60 percent from the field (42 of 70) and 100 percent from the free throw line (15 of 15).
QUOTING COACH BLUDER
“I’m happy with the way we pushed the ball. We got some great looks inside. We shot the ball well. Our post play was stellar today. I thought our post play was as good as I’ve seen it.”
GAME NOTES
- Coley netted 20 points — the most for the senior since scoring 20 against Michigan on March 3, 2016.
- Gustafson registered her third double-double of the season. It is the 30th double-double of her career.
- Davis registered her second career double of her career. The 10 rebounds are a career high.
- Junior Hannah Stewart recorded a career-high 13 points.
- Iowa outscored Northern Illinois 52-22 in the paint.
HOT START FOR NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Northern Illinois grabbed a 12-4 lead three minutes into the game by making 5 of 6 field goals, including 2 of 3 from 3-point. A layup by Iowa’s Alexis Sevillian at the 2:50 mark of the first quarter put Iowa ahead for good at 20-18.
DOWNTOWN HUSKIES
Northern Illinois made 10 of 20 3-point field goals in the first half. That accounted for 30 of the team’s 44 points over the first 20 minutes.
1ST START FOR ALEXIS
Sevillian made her first collegiate start in place of Kathleen Doyle, who is sidelined with an ankle injury. Sevillian played 30 minutes and scored 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field. She had a team-high nine points after the first quarter.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes return to Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday against Western Michigan. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. (CT). The Broncos improved to 2-1 after a 65-47 victory over Loyola-Chicago on Wednesday.
