IOWA CITY, Iowa — A hot pink start propelled the University of Iowa women’s basketball team to a 78-59 win over Northwestern in its annual Pink Game on Thursday in front of 4,167 on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes (16-10 overall, 7-6 Big Ten) wore pink shoes and white uniforms with pink letters, numbers, and trim in support of breast cancer awareness.

Iowa raced to a 15-4 lead less than five minutes in to the game and although Northwestern (17-9, 6-7) rallied to within 16-15 early in the second quarter, the Hawkeyes extended the advantage to 12 at halftime (41-29). They never looked back in the second half.

Sophomore Megan Gustafson led Iowa with 17 points; she also had eight rebounds and two blocked shots. Ally Disterhoft scored seven points in the first quarter, nine at halftime, and 14 for the game.  Iowa was 22-of-26 from the free throw line, attempting 15 more than the Wildcats, who have lost four straight games. Nia Coffey led Northwestern with 21 points.

The Hawkeyes return to action Sunday when they play Purdue (16-11, 7-6) in West Lafayette, Indiana. Tip-off is set for 11 a.m. (CT). That is followed by a game at Indiana on Feb. 22.

(HawkeyeSports.com)