No. 10 Iowa Knocks Off No. 8 Vanderbilt in Sioux City

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The No. 10 University of Iowa women's basketball team knocked off No. 8 Vanderbilt, 75-65, Sunday afternoon at the Tyson Events Center. The Hawkeyes (4-1) earned their first AP Top-10 victory of the season behind 16 points from Chazadi 'Chit-Chat' Wright and double-double performances from Ava Heiden and Amari Whiting.

Vanderbilt entered Sunday's contest having scored at least 100 points in each of its first four games, but Iowa held the Commodores to just 20 first-half points and 0-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc. The Hawkeyes led by as many as 22 points and never trailed after taking a 7-4 advantage in the opening quarter.

How It Happened

The Hawkeyes used an early 17-3 run to build a double-digit advantage, holding Vanderbilt to its lowest-scoring quarter of the season in a 24-10 opening period. McKenna Woliczko ignited the run with a fast-break layup, followed by a pair of 3-pointers from Chazadi 'Chit-Chat' Wright. Ava Heiden collected six rebounds in the quarter, while Amari Whiting led Iowa with eight points. The Hawkeyes shot 50 percent from the field and led by as many as 16 points.

Iowa carried its momentum into the second quarter, opening on an 8-2 run. Journey Houston scored four consecutive Iowa points, including a second-chance layup that extended the Hawkeyes' advantage to 20. Heiden added a layup while drawing a foul to push Iowa's lead to 21 with 2:26 remaining. Dani Carnegie's free throw extended the advantage to a game-high 22 points before the Hawkeyes entered halftime leading 39-20. Iowa held Vanderbilt to 20 percent shooting in the quarter and just 20 first-half points.

The third quarter opened with a back-and-forth battle as Vanderbilt looked to cut into Iowa's advantage. Wright paced the Hawkeyes with seven points in the period, connecting on a layup and transition 3-pointer before adding a jumper to restore a 20-point lead with 2:30 remaining. Carnegie added a second-chance 3-pointer, while Heiden contributed four points in the quarter. Iowa maintained an 18-point advantage heading into the fourth, 58-40.

Vanderbilt trimmed Iowa's advantage to 12 points midway through the fourth quarter before Taylor Stremlow answered with a driving layup. Carnegie connected on a 3-pointer with 3:46 remaining to push the Hawkeyes' lead to 15. Wright followed with her fourth 3-pointer of the afternoon, extending Iowa's advantage to 73-54 with 2:15 remaining. Whiting added two free throws to give Iowa a 19-point lead before Vanderbilt closed on a 9-0 run, producing the 75-65 final.

Hear from Head Coach Jan Jensen

“Obviously, it was just a great win for us, getting to play an early Top-10 matchup. With this type of environment, it was certainly advantageous to us with so many of our great fans being here. But still, the neutral floor, trying to get used to a different environment and whatnot. I just really love the response. I thought we made some good strides today. ... It's just not like this anywhere else. I'm really grateful and excited that we were able to have this type of a game in front of so many fans."

Game Notes

• No. 10 Iowa improved to 4-1 overall following a 75-65 victory over No. 8 Vanderbilt (4-1).
• Iowa recorded its first AP Top-10 victory since defeating No. 8 Michigan, 59-42, in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals on March 7, 2026.
• The Hawkeyes earned their first AP Top-10 regular-season victory since defeating No. 6 Michigan, 62-44, on Feb. 22, 2026.
• Iowa earned its first victory over Vanderbilt in program history, improving to 1-4 in the all-time series.
• The Hawkeyes handed Vanderbilt its first loss of the season and held the Commodores to 65 points after they scored at least 100 points in each of their first four games.
• Iowa held Vanderbilt to 20 first-half points and led 39-20 at halftime.
• The Hawkeyes led by as many as 22 points (39-17) in the second quarter.
• Iowa outrebounded Vanderbilt, 49-38, including a 15-13 advantage on the offensive glass.
• The Hawkeyes recorded 20 assists on 27 made field goals.
• Iowa outscored Vanderbilt, 38-30, in the paint and 21-5 in bench points.
• Iowa held Vanderbilt to 35.7 percent shooting (25-of-70) from the field and 15.8 percent (3-of-19) from beyond the arc.
• Four Hawkeyes scored in double figures.
• Iowa recorded two individual double-doubles (Whiting, Heiden) in the same game for the first time since Feb. 22, 2026, when Ava Heiden and Hannah Stuelke accomplished the feat against No. 6 Michigan.
• Wright led Iowa with 16 points, connecting on four 3-pointers, and added four assists.
• Ava Heiden recorded a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
• Amari Whiting registered a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
• Dani Carnegie added 10 points, connecting on two 3-pointers.
• Taylor Stremlow dished out a team-high six assists.
• McKenna Woliczko finished two rebounds shy of a double-double, recording six points, eight rebounds and three assists.
• Journey Houston contributed eight points and six rebounds off the bench.
• Sunday's neutral-site matchup drew 6,413 fans to the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.

Up Next

The Hawkeyes return to action Thursday, Nov. 19, hosting Montana State at 7 p.m. (CT) inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The matchup will stream on B1G+ (subscription required). Iowa will then travel to Nassau, Bahamas, for the Pink Flamingo Championship, facing Utah on Monday, Nov. 23, at 12:30 p.m. (CT), followed by Navy on Wednesday, Nov. 25, at 10 a.m. (CT). Both games will stream on BDG Sports Live.