By DARREN MILLER
hawkeyesports.com
MADISON, Wis. — No lead is safe when playing the No. 22 University of Iowa women’s basketball team.
The Hawkeyes (15-3 overall, 6-1 Big Ten) won their sixth straight game Sunday in the Kohl Center at Wisconsin, 85-78, despite facing a 17-point deficit 20 seconds into the second half. In its previous two games, Iowa overcame a 14-point deficit against Indiana and a 15-point deficit at Minnesota.
Senior Makenzie Meyer made 4 of 6 3-point field goals and finished with a game-high 22 points; she also handed out six assists. Senior Kathleen Doyle scored 21 points with eight rebounds and six assists; sophomore Monika Czinano made 8 of 9 field goals and 4 of 5 free throws for 20 points.
Czinano, who played just four minutes in the first half because of foul trouble, entered the game second in the nation in field goal percentage. She improved that figure to 71.5 percent on the season (123 of 172). Senior Amanda Ollinger, the team’s leading rebounder at 8.8 per game, pulled down nine boards at Wisconsin.
A made jumper by Kendra Van Leeuwen put Wisconsin on top, 52-35, with 9:40 left in the third quarter. Iowa went on a 20-2 run over the next 5:43 and took a 55-54 lead after a made 3 by Meyer. There were four lead changes in the final 3:28.
It is the fourth loss in a row for Wisconsin (9-9, 1-6), who was led in scoring by Imani Lewis with 18 points. Abby Laszewski scored 14 points with 12 rebounds.
QUOTING COACH BLUDER
“It’s hard to do this on the road and we keep doing it. Third quarter was a total shift. Nothing was going our way in the first half defensively, rebounding, foul trouble, not shooting the ball as well as we are capable of. The third quarter comes out and wham, totally different. We did a lot of things better.”
GETTING TO THE LINE
Iowa converted 17 of 22 free throw attempts (14 of 18 in the second half); Wisconsin was 5 of 11 from the line.
STATISTIC OF THE GAME
By making 31 of 59 field goals, the Hawkeyes have now shot better than 52 percent from the field in three straight games and five times in the last six outings. For the season, Iowa is shooting 48.9 percent from the field (517 of 1,058).
WORTH NOTING
With 21 consecutive wins, Iowa leads the all-time series with Wisconsin, 51-20.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes put their 30-game home winning streak on the line Thursday against Ohio State on Mediacom Court in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tip-off is 7 p.m. (CT). The Buckeyes improved to 11-7 overall, 4-3 in the Big Ten, with a 77-47 win over Illinois on Sunday.
