The 10th ranked Iowa State women suffered their first loss. Taliah Scott’s basket with two seconds remaining was the game winner as 22nd ranked Baylor edged the Cyclones 72-70, snapping their 16 game win streak in Hilton Coliseum.

That’s ISU coach Bill Fennelly. Jada Williams had 28 points and Audi Crooks had 26, but they were the only Cyclones in double figures as they fall to 14-1.

The Cyclones will look to bounce back Wednesday at Cincinnati.

The Drake men held Indiana State without a field goal for the final five-and-a-half minutes of the game and rallied for a 74-72 win in the Knapp Center. The Bulldogs improve to 2-2 in the Missouri Valley and bounced back from a lopsided loss at home to Illinois State.

That’s Drake coach Eric Henderson. The Bulldogs trailed by eight late in the first half.

The Bulldogs broke through after a series of frustrating losses at home.

Drake may be without junior starting forward Wilguens Junior Exacte for an extended period of time. He suffered a foot injury last week.

BOYS

Hawkeye Ten Conference 

Shenandoah – 69 vs Atlantic – 60

Lewis Central – 43 vs Glenwood – 32

Western Iowa Conference 

Riverside – 54 vs Audubon – 52

Pride of Iowa Conference 

Central Decatur – 45 vs Nodaway Valley – 40

Southeast Warren – 87 vs Lenox – 51

Non-Conference 

Kuemper Catholic – 59 vs Bishop Heelan Catholic – 57

St. Albert – 75 vs South Sioux City – 59

Red Oak – 60 vs East Mills – 54

Ridge View – 57 vs Woodbine – 40

GIRLS

Hawkeye Ten Conference 

Atlantic – 48 vs Shenandoah – 41

Glenwood – 42 vs Lewis Central – 38

Pride of Iowa Conference 

Nodaway Valley – 52 vs Central Decatur – 34

Lenox – 41 vs Southeast Warren – 35

Non-Conference 

Underwood – 28 vs East Mills – 25

Ridge View – 46 vs Logan-Magnolia – 26

Spirit Lake – 62 vs Sergeant Bluff-Luton – 47

DES MOINES, Iowa – Abbie Aalsma picked up in the new year right where she left off in the old and helped keep the Drake women’s basketball team unbeaten in Missouri Valley Conference play. Coming off a career-high 30-point performance in a win at UIC to close out 2025, Aalsma started the 2026 calendar year with 29 to lead the Bulldogs to an 89-75 victory over Southern Illinois to reach a major milestone at the Knapp Center on Friday night.

It was victory No. 1,000 for the Drake program, which began in the 1974-75 season and has more wins than any other MVC team. Drake reached that number by hitting the Salukis with an impressive display of passing, cutting and driving to the basket in winning for the third time in four games, improving to 4-9 overall and 3-0 in the Valley.

Aalsma was at the forefront of that sharp offense, constantly breaking down the defense with drives to the hoop and adding three 3-pointers while making 12 of 19 shots. And she got plenty of help as the Bulldogs posted their second-highest point total of the season. Freshman Anna Becker added 13 points, handed out a career-high seven assists and grabbed five rebounds. Sophomore Maggie Taylor went 5-for-7 from the field in scoring 12 points to go with six rebounds and freshman Quinn Vice logged her first collegiate double-double with 11 points and a career-best 12 rebounds.

Drake outrebounded the Salukis 48-34, amassed 24 assists on 35 field goals and built an overwhelming 58-24 edge in points in the paint. The Bulldogs shot a sizzling 71 percent in the fourth quarter (12-for-17) to finish at 53 percent for the game. Southern Illinois (3-9, 0-3) led by as many as eight points in the first half and was up 40-39 at the break. But the Salukis never found a way to keep the Drake players from getting to the basket and the Bulldogs dominated the second half, outscoring SIU 50-35.

Drake went ahead to stay with a 9-0 run that produced a 48-42 lead with 6:34 left in the third quarter. All four baskets in that burst were layups with Becker getting two of them, the second on a sweet high-low pass from Vice that made it 47-42. The Salukis stayed within striking distance and trailed just 55-53 when Indya Green sank two free throws with 3:04 remaining in the quarter. They never got any closer.

Taylor fed Becker for a layup and then Becker returned the favor, finding Taylor in the lane for a turnaround shot that made it 59-53. Grace Knutson, who finished with eight points and three assists, dropped in a pair of free throws for a 61-55 lead at the end of the quarter before Lexi Carlsen buried a trey to start the fourth quarter and give the Bulldogs their biggest lead to that point, 64-55.

A succession of layups, including two straight by Vice on cuts to the basket, stretched the lead to 77-66, and Aalsma’s final basket of the night, a 3-pointer, made it 85-73 and basically sealed the victory. The game ended on a fitting note, the Bulldogs working the clock until Carlsen found a back-cutting Becker for a final layup with 10 seconds to play.

Aalsma set the tone early when she knocked down a triple for Drake’s first points a little more than a minute into the game. A Becker layup and a three from Vice put the Bulldogs up 8-4, but they hit a cold spell and were just 3-for-10 at the first media timeout, the score tied at eight. They made their final five shots of the period, however, and took an 18-16 lead in the second quarter.

Drake then managed only one basket in the first 5:25 of the second period and SIU rattled off seven straight points to open a 31-24 lead. Jeniah Thompson’s 3-point play gave the Salukis their biggest lead of the half, 36-28, before an 11-2 Drake run that Ava Hawthorne capped with a trey pulled the Bulldogs into a 39-38 lead. Seconds later, Alayna Kraus banked in a shot high off the glass to give SIU its one-point lead at the half.

Green scored 20 points and Kraus had 18 to lead the Salukis, who got only two points for their bench and lost to Drake for the sixth straight time. “It was a game of ebbs and flows,” Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman said. “Southern Illinois went on a couple runs in the first half, we managed a couple runs and got some momentum into halftime. We came out ready to go and I was so pleased with that. Forced them to take a timeout and executed will in specific moments. Really nice to get back to the Knapp Center and feed off a great crowd and do what we need to do.”

Drake goes back out on the road for its next two games, playing at Belmont on Friday, Jan. 9 and at Murray State on Sunday, Jan. 11. The Belmont game tips at 6:30 p.m. and the Murray State contest at 2 p.m.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Florida Tech transfer Sara Batchadji has signed a scholarship agreement with the University of Iowa women’s soccer team, head coach Dave DiIanni announced Friday.

Batchadji led Division II Florida Tech to its first national championship in program history in which she was named the United Soccer Coaches Women’s National Player of the Year at the Division II level in 2025.

“Sara brings to us incredible athletic and technical ability,” said DiIanni. “She is calm and composed under pressure and can defend in space when isolated. We welcome her coming off a national championship season where she was rightfully honored as the national player of the year in division two. We look forward to welcoming Sara to our program. It’s a great match, she’s gotten better every season in college, and we develop players as good as anyone in the country.”

In her junior campaign, Batchadji played in 26 matches earning 24 starts, totaling 2,120 minutes. She finished the 2025 season with five goals, 15 points, 57 shots, and 27 shots on goal. The Lubeck, Germany native earned CSC Second Team Academic All-America, CSC Academic All-District, USC Scholar All-South Region recognition, United Soccer Coaches First Team All-South Region, D2CCA Second Team All-South Region, ALL-SSC First team honors, and was named a finalist for the 2025 Honda Cup Division II Athlete of the Year.

In 2024, Batchadji appeared in 19 games totaling 3 goals and an assist. She was named All-SSC First Team, CCA All-Region First Team, CSC Academic All-District, D2 CCA All-Region First Team, and USC All-Region honors.

In her freshman season, Batchadji appeared in all 23 games where she finished with four goals and five assists. She earned All-SSC Third team honors.

Batchadji attended Carl-Jacob Burckhardy Gymnasium where she played club for SV Henstedt-Ulzberg in Germany.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The 22nd-ranked University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team posted a team score of 194.825 on Friday night to finish third overall in a tri-meet featuring three ranked teams inside the Jon. M Huntsman Center.

No. 5 Utah (196.625) won the competition while No. 16 Minnesota (195.475) placed second.

Fifth-year senior JerQuavia Henderson made a successful return to the lineup, competing for the first time in two years. Henderson tied for second on floor with a 9.875 and matched sophomore Aurélie Tran for third place in the all-around with a score of 39.125.

BEAM
The GymHawks opened the meet on beam, earning a 48.125 on their first event. Tran led the rotation with a 9.800, followed by a 9.700 from Henderson. Freshman Maggie Ball posted a 9.625 in her collegiate debut, while fifth-year senior Marissa Rojas followed with a 9.600.

FLOOR
In the second rotation, Iowa registered a 48.825 on floor. Henderson led the way with a 9.875, followed by senior Emily Erb’s 9.800. Sophomore Sydney Turner and freshman Stella DePaola matched 9.725 scores, and Tran posted a 9.700.

VAULT
The GymHawks recorded a 48.950 in the third rotation, their highest event score of the evening. Henderson led the Hawkeyes, scoring a 9.850, closely followed by Turner and freshman Sophie Schriever earning a 9.800 in her collegiate vault debut. Tran added a 9.775 in her third event of the night. Senior Hanna Castillo contributed a 9.725 to keep Iowa in the mix heading into the final event

BARS
Iowa concluded the competition on bars posting a 48.925. Tran led the lineup scoring a 9.850, followed by Turner and senior Gianna Masella each adding a score of 9.800. Schriever posted a solid 9.750, followed by freshman Daisy Bowles contributing a 9.725 in her colligate debut.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH JEN LLEWELLYN
“I think we just needed to get the first event under our belt and then we just kind of got a little bit more settled in after each event. I love that they didn’t allow that first event to shake them; they fought, they stayed gritty, and I was really impressed by that. The scores were a little bit tight, which you expect the first meet of the year, but they handled that really well. The atmosphere was exceptionally electric and amazing with 11,000 people here in such a historic venue, so I also thought they handled that situation with great composure.”

UP NEXT
The nationally-ranked Hawkeyes will host Illinois, Illinois State and Iowa State in the Border Battle meet on Jan. 10. Action inside of the Carver-Hawkeye Arena will begin at 4 p.m. and will be streamed on B1G+ (subscription required).

The Atlantic Trojans Girls Basketball team opened 2026 with a 48-41 road victory at the Shenandoah Fillies. The Trojans were led by their two posts in Brynn Lamp and Katrina Williams. The duo had 27 of the team’s 48 points. The game was a nailbiter all first half with the teams being tied at 22 at the break. In the third quarter, Atlantic outscored the Fillies 17-7 and carried a ten-point lead into the fourth. Although, the hardworking effort from Shenandoah to come back and win, the Trojans prevailed by knocking down key free throws down the stretch to seal the eight-point victory. 

The Trojans came out of the gates quickly finding Brynn Lamp for a basket followed by Katrina Williams scoring down low as well. On the Shenandoah side, leading scorer Kalyn Scammen and Ava O’Rourke hit two threes in the final couple minutes of the first quarter to give the Fillies a 15-11 lead heading into the second quarter. 

In the second quarter, Atlantic continued to go back to their posts and went on a 7-0 run to begin the quarter. Shenandoah answered right back with five points including another three from Scammen. Foul trouble was an issue for Scammen as she picked up three first half fouls. This resulted in her having to sit a majority of the second half. It was a tie ballgame at halftime.

Atlantic got off to a red-hot start to begin the third quarter. Williams had a quick six points in the paint with solid post moves to get around the defender. Meanwhile, Brynn Lamp was able to maneuver her way to the basket twice and put up four points in the quarter. All the momentum was on the Trojans’ side as five different Trojans scored in the quarter. Down by as many as 12 in the quarter, Shenandoah began to play a little timid and put the defensive press on. Despite the foul trouble, Scammen played nearly the entire third quarter for the Fillies and scored four of the team’s seven points in the quarter. The Fillies didn’t have quite the amount of depth on the bench as the Trojans did. Shenandoah scored just four points off their bench all game. Junior Peyton McLaren capped off the 17-point third quarter with a two-point basket to go ahead 39-29 after three.

In the fourth, the defensive full court press began to rattle Atlantic. The Trojans began the quarter with back-to-back turnovers including the inability to inbound the ball with a five second call. The Fillies spaced the floor for Scammen as she hit second three-pointer of the night right away to begin the quarter. All of a sudden it was a two-point game late in the fourth.  Senior MaKenna Schroeder hit a big time three-pointer to keep the distance from Shenandoah to put Atlantic back up by five. Towards the final seconds, Shenandoah down two possessions had no other choice than to foul and send Atlantic to the free throw line. A perfect combined 4/4 from the line for McLaren and Schroeder iced the game for Atlantic. The Trojans improved to 5-5 with the victory.

Head Coach Dan Vargason complimented his team’s resilience

The gameplan was to utilize the posts with the size advantage for Atlantic.

Tonight was a major confidence boost.

The Trojans return to the floor Tuesday in a home game with Glenwood.

Iowa coach Ben McCollum hopes the home court is an advantage Saturday afternoon when the 25th ranked Hawkeyes return to Big Ten play by hosting UCLA. The Bruins are 10-3 overall and 2-0 in conference play while the the Hawkeyes are 11-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play.

Attendance is up in McCollum’s first season as head coach. A year ago average home attendance was just over nine thousand, 100 fans per home game. So far this season it is just under 10 thousand, 400 fans and McCollum has been working to bring even more into Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The Northern Iowa men roared back from a nine point first half deficit to beat Indiana State 75-66 in the McLeod Center, Thursday. Trey Campbell led four players in double figures with 18 points as the Panthers move to 3-0 in the Missouri Valley.

That’s UNI coach Ben Jacobson. The Panthers won the battle on the glass by outrebounding the Sycamores 35-22.

The 14th ranked Iowa Hawkeye women used a late 14-1 run to take command in an 86-76 win over 20th ranked Nebraska, Thursday. Sophomore guard Chit Chat Wright led the Hawkeyes with 24 points.

That’s Iowa coach Jan Jensen. Senior forward Hannah Stuelke had 21 points, 10 rebounds and was seven-of-seven at the line.

The Hawkeyes are 3-0 in the Big Ten.