By DARREN MILLER
hawkeyesports.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa — The senior backcourt for the University of Iowa combined for 41 points, but late-game heroics by redshirt junior Alexis Sevillian broke a 54-54 tie as the Hawkeye women’s basketball team knocked off No. 17/16 Maryland, 66-61, in front of 6,689 on Thursday on Mediacom Court in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Iowa senior Kathleen Doyle scored 21 points and senior Makenzie Meyer added 20 to pace the Hawkeyes (12-3 overall, 3-1 Big Ten), who won for a 29th consecutive time at home.
With 3:29 left in a tie game, Sevillian went to work. Her 3-point field goal (off an assist from Doyle) with 3:18 left gave the Hawkeyes a 57-54 lead; less than two minutes later, she stole the ball from Maryland’s Kaila Charles, made a jumper, and Iowa led 59-54 with 1:38 remaining.
“I have struggled with confidence this year with my 3-point shot, but I had no doubts in myself this game,” Sevillian said. “I just kept rolling.”
It is the third straight time Iowa has defeated Maryland. The Terrapins fell to 11-4, 2-2.
Sevillian finished with 15 points on 5 of 9 shooting from the field. She made 3 of 5 3-point field goals. After compiling double-doubles in back-to-back games, Iowa senior Amanda Ollinger blocked a career-high eight shots. She also pulled down nine rebounds with four steals and three assists.
“Amanda had a great game,” Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said. “She contributed in so many ways. She has been doing that all year and I’m thrilled with how she is playing.”
Iowa shot 40 percent from the field (20 of 50) and held Maryland to 31 percent from the field (26 of 84).
Charles led the Terrapins with 23 points and 18 rebounds.
QUOTING COACH BLUDER
“I’m proud of our resilience. It’s a good thing it’s not gymnastics, because it wasn’t style points for sure. But a win is a win. Our leadership was amazing.”
STATISTIC OF THE GAME
Iowa had 35 rebounds for the game…Maryland had 38 offensive rebounds and 59 total rebounds for the game. The Hawkeyes overcame a minus-24 in rebounds to win its third straight Big Ten game.
“I have never seen somebody give up 38 rebounds offensively and get a win,” Bluder said. “It’s a crazy box score.”
TALK ABOUT A CRAZY BOX SCORE…
Don’t forget, Iowa defeated Maryland by five points. But…the Terrapins outscored Iowa 40-18 in the paint and 25-6 in second-chance points.
ABOUT THAT HOME WINNING STREAK
The 29-game home winning streak by the Hawkeyes is the second-longest in the nation to Baylor.
“Hawk fans are amazing,” Bluder said. “They come here, they are loud, passionate, we love the energy they bring to us. We play for them, we work hard and it is nice when people respect that and come out and appreciate that. We want to give them a good show.
“When you’re in a game like this, you need those people behind you to push you through and our crowd did it again.”
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes take on a second nationally ranked opponent in three days when they host No. 12/13 Indiana on Sunday. Tip-off from Mediacom Court in Carver-Hawkeye Arena is 4 p.m. (CT). The Hoosiers (14-2, 4-0) defeated Purdue, 66-48, on Thursday in Bloomington, Indiana.
MARYLAND-IOWA PHOTO GALLERY
