Hawkeyes Roll Past Nittany Lions

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The nationally ranked University of Iowa women’s basketball team improved to 11-2 and 2-0 in Big Ten play with a commanding 99-76 win over Penn State on Sunday afternoon inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Sophomore Ava Heiden led the way for the Hawkeyes with a career-high 27 points on 13-of-19 shooting, adding nine rebounds and an assist. Sophomore Chit-Chat Wright added 16 points and six assists, while senior Hannah Stuelke and sophomore Taylor Stremlow each had 14 of their own.

The Hawkeyes came out with a 29-14 lead after the first quarter behind a 14-0 run midway through the period. Wright scored 12 points in the opening frame, and Iowa dominated the paint early with 10 points inside while forcing six Penn State turnovers.

Penn State responded in the second quarter, outscoring Iowa, 23-20. Iowa maintained control behind Heiden’s 11 points in the period, and the Hawkeyes entered the break ahead, 49-37.

After halftime, Heiden and freshman Addie Deal combined for 12 third-quarter points, and Deal’s fast break layup off a Penn State turnover stretched Iowa’s lead to 73-52 heading into the fourth. The Hawkeyes shot 45.8 percent in the third and tallied 18 points from the paint.

In the final frame, Iowa closed strong with seven points each from Deal and Houston. The Hawkeyes finished with 56 points in the paint, 23 second-chance points, and shot 50 percent from the field overall. Defensively, the Hawkeyes forced 20 turnovers.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Ava Heiden netted a career-high 27 points (13-19 FG) and nine rebounds.
- It was Heiden’s third career game with 20+ points and most against a Big Ten team.  
- Hannah Stuelke had 14 points and eight rebounds.
- Stuelke became the 14th Hawkeye in program history to record 1,300+ points and 700+ rebounds in her career.
- Stuelke has notched double figures in four straight games and in 10 contests overall.   
- Taylor Stremlow recorded a career-high 14 points (4-6 FG), four assists, three rebounds, and two steals.
- Stremlow has 10+ points in four games this season.
- Chit-Chat Wright registered 16 points, a team-high six assists, and three rebounds.
- It was Wright’s sixth game in double figures as a Hawkeye.
- Journey Houston added 11 points and a career-best 11 rebounds.
- It was Houston’s first career double-double.  
- Addie Deal notched her third career game in double figures. (13)  
TEAM NOTES
- Iowa has won 12 in a row against Penn State.
- The Hawkeyes have beaten the Nittany Lions by double digits in 11 straight games dating back to Feb. 3, 2019.
- Iowa extended its home winning streak to nine games.
- The Hawkeyes have won all seven home contests this season by 10+ points.
- Iowa has played in front of 43 consecutive home sellouts which is the longest streak nationally.
- Iowa is 133-20 in Iowa City since Nov. 11, 2016.
- The Hawkeyes are 95-30 against Big Ten foes since the 2019-20 season.
- The Hawkeyes are 18-1 when scoring 80+ points in the Jan Jensen era.
- Iowa improved to 87-7 when dishing out 20+ assists since the 2020-21 season.
- Since 2018-19, the Hawkeyes are 103-6 when registering 80+ points and 20+ assists in the same game.  

UP NEXT
The nationally ranked Hawkeyes are set to host No. 20 Nebraska on New Years Day in Iowa City at 1 p.m. (CT). The contest will air on BTN and the Hawkeye Radio Network.