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Gustafson, Iowa blow past Missouri 68-52

Sports

March 24th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Megan Gustafson scored 24 points with 19 rebounds, Makenzie Meyer added 18 points and second-seeded Iowa blew past Missouri 68-52 on Sunday to advance to its second Sweet 16 in five years. Kathleen Doyle scored 15 points for the Hawkeyes (28-6), who put away the Tigers with a blistering 23-4 run in the second half. They’ll face either Kentucky or North Carolina State, who play each other on Monday, in the semifinals of the Greensboro Regional next week. Tania Davis hit her first 3 of the game to open the fourth quarter, putting Iowa up 50-41, and Meyer’s corner 3 pushed the lead to 13. Gustafson’s jumper over two defenders made it 60-43 with 4:21 to go, capping a spurt that helped Iowa clinch its highest win total in 31 years.

Hawkeyes fans will get at least one more opportunity to watch Gustafson, the greatest player in school history. Is Gustafson good enough to help lead Iowa to the Final Four? She might be — but Gustafson’s teammates will need to play above expectations for that to be possible. Gustafson received a standing ovation when she was finally pulled from her final home game with 22.4 seconds to go.