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Iowa Hawkeye women close out regular season with a win

Sports

February 25th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa Hawkeye women’s basketball team closed out its regular season at home Saturday, with a 75-62 victory over the Indiana Hoosiers. It was the seventh consecutive win for the Hawkeyes and it ended an eight-game winning streak for Indiana (16-13, 9-7).

According to HawkeyeSports.com, Iowa made 9 of 13 field goals in the first quarter (69 percent) with 10 paint points, Indiana made 2 of 13 (15.4 percent) with zero points in the paint.  Hawkeye junior Megan Gustafson scored the first eight points for Iowa, which used a 10-0 run to grab a 14-5 lead. Gustafson registered her 26th double-double of the season (and 53rd of her career) with 36 points and 15 rebounds. She had 18 points and 10 rebounds by halftime.

Gustafson made 15 of 21 field goals, lifting her season field goal percentage to 66.7. She also averages 12.8 rebounds per game. Iowa’s 6-foot-3 All-America candidate received plenty of support. Sophomore Makenzie Meyer scored 13 points with two 3-pointers, senior Chase Coley added 12 points, six rebounds, and five assists, and junior Hannah Stewart scored 10 points with five rebounds in 21 minutes.

Iowa’s defense limited Indiana senior Tyra Buss to 12 points in 40 minutes. In her previous two games — wins over Nebraska and Minnesota — Buss averaged 36.5 points, shooting 52 percent from the field and 94 percent from the line. On Saturday, she was 4 of 15 from the field and 1 of 2 from the line with three 3-point field goals.

The victory over Indiana capped a 7-0 month of February for the Hawkeyes, who defeated Michigan State, Minnesota, Penn State, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Rutgers, and now Indiana.

Up next: The Hawkeyes join the other 13 league schools at the Big Ten Tournament from Feb. 28-March 4 in Indianapolis.