No. 10 Iowa Falls to No. 2 UConn Despite Late Rally

STORRS, Conn. – Despite a strong fourth-quarter rally, the No. 10 University of Iowa women's basketball team fell to No. 2 UConn, 91-79, Sunday afternoon inside Gampel Pavilion.

Third-year Chazadi 'Chit-Chat' Wright led the Hawkeyes with a season-high 23 points, tying her career high with five made three-pointers. Third-year Ava Heiden added 15 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, while Dani Carnegie chipped in 12. Fourth-year Amari Whiting recorded 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds, becoming a 1,000-point career scorer on a three-pointer with 15 seconds remaining.

How It Happened

Iowa opened the contest with a hook shot from third-year Ava Heiden before Dani Carnegie and Chazadi 'Chit-Chat' Wright helped the Hawkeyes build an early 8-3 advantage. Heiden converted a three-point play with 5:51 remaining to extend Iowa's lead to 11-5. The Hawkeyes led by as many as six before UConn responded with a 13-2 run over the final 5:04 to take a 20-14 lead into the second quarter.

UConn opened the second quarter with back-to-back three-pointers to extend its lead to 26-14. Iowa answered with a 5-0 run, capped by a three-pointer from first-year McKenna Woliczko, to cut the deficit to seven. The Hawkeyes continued to battle, using three-pointers from Journey Houston, Chazadi 'Chit-Chat' Wright and Taylor Stremlow to remain within striking distance. Wright scored five consecutive points late in the quarter to bring Iowa within 10, but UConn closed the half on a 5-0 run to take a 52-37 lead into the break.

Amari Whiting opened the second half with a layup, but UConn responded with a 14-0 run to extend its lead to 66-39. Whiting converted a three-point play to spark an 8-0 Iowa run, which included a layup from Taylor Stremlow and a three-pointer from Journey Houston. The Hawkeyes cut the deficit to 19 before UConn closed the quarter with a 72-51 advantage.

Iowa mounted a late comeback, outscoring UConn 28-19 in the final period. Chazadi 'Chit-Chat' Wright connected on three fourth-quarter three-pointers, while Ava Heiden added 10 points in the frame. The Hawkeyes trimmed the deficit to 12 following a fast-break layup from Dani Carnegie with 4:59 remaining. Carnegie later brought Iowa within 10, 82-72, with 3:18 to play, but UConn held off the late rally to secure a 91-79 victory.

Hear from Head Coach Jan Jensen

“I was really proud of the fight of our team. I've been here a few times, way back in my years at Drake. When you get down to double digits, it can get away from you real fast. So I was really proud of our fight."

“Unfortunately, Ava Heiden got in early foul trouble, and that really changes our team a lot. There were a lot of things we normally would like to do that we couldn't do in the first half. We got down quite a bit in the third, and Ava again got into foul trouble."

“Certainly, maybe they let up a little bit, but I think our team really, really fought, and I'm proud of that."

“I think in this day and age, with all the changes, when you can keep your nucleus together, those teams have a little bit of an edge early. We have six new players and five returning. I'm really proud of how we fought, and I think we have a lot to build on.”

Game Notes

• Iowa moved to 2-1 overall following its first loss of the season.
• Fourth-year Amari Whiting reached 1,000 career points, finishing with 10 points. She reached the milestone on a three-pointer with 15 seconds remaining.
• Whiting also made her 100th career start and appeared in her 100th career game.
• Third-year Chit-Chat Wright led Iowa with a season-high 23 points, one shy of her career high.
• Wright matched her career high with five made three-pointers.
• Third-year Ava Heiden finished with 15 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter.
• Iowa had four players score in double figures: Wright (23), Heiden (15), Dani Carnegie (12) and Whiting (10).
• The Hawkeyes outscored UConn 28-19 in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to 10 after trailing by as many as 27.
• Iowa outscored UConn 42-39 in the second half.
• Journey Houston surpassed 200 career points, finishing with eight points.
• Wright surpassed 650 career points and reached 100 rebounds as a Hawkeye.

Up Next

The Hawkeyes return home to host Northern Iowa on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 7:30 p.m. (CT) inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The contest will air nationally on BTN. Iowa will then travel to Sioux City, Iowa, to face Vanderbilt on Sunday, Nov. 15, at noon (CT). The neutral-site matchup will air on FS1.