No. 14 Iowa survives gritty night, edges Northwestern 67–58 in Big Ten road test
EVANSTON, Ill. — Ava Heiden said it best afterward, summing up a night that tested No. 14 Iowa in ways the betting line never suggested.
“Road wins are hard,” she said.
This one was harder than most expected.
Despite foul trouble to its post players, an uncharacteristic turnover problem, and a stubborn Northwestern team that refused to fold, Iowa escaped Welsh-Ryan Arena on Monday night with a 67–58 Big Ten women’s basketball victory. The Hawkeyes didn’t dominate, but they endured and sometimes, that’s what matters most in January.
Playing just 18 minutes because of fouls, Heiden still delivered a game-high 23 points, carrying Iowa early and steadying it late. Her effort pushed the Hawkeyes to 13–2 overall and 4–0 in conference play, keeping them tied with UCLA atop the Big Ten standings.
Crisis, if there ever truly was one, was avoided.
Iowa arrived in Chicagoland as a 27½-point favorite, but Northwestern made it clear early that the night wouldn’t be routine. The Wildcats, now 6–9 overall and 0–4 in league play, matched Iowa’s intensity for long stretches and were tied with the Hawkeyes late in the third quarter.
Still, Iowa found just enough.
After Northwestern pulled even with less than two minutes remaining in the third, the Hawkeyes closed the period on a 9–2 run to take a 50–44 lead. It wasn’t pretty, but it created breathing room. Iowa later stretched that cushion to double digits for the first and only time when Hannah Stuelke sank a free throw to make it 62–52 with 1:42 left.
Northwestern wasn’t finished. Casey Harter and Caroline Lau knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to trim the margin to 62–58, raising the noise level inside Welsh-Ryan and forcing Iowa to respond. Chit-Chat Wright and Heiden did just that, combining to hit five free throws over the final 50 seconds to secure the win.
Heiden’s efficiency stood out on a night when offense came at a premium. She made 9 of her 11 shots from the field and opened the game by scoring Iowa’s first 12 points. In the first quarter alone, she went 6-of-7 shooting. The rest of the Hawkeyes? They missed all eight of their attempts in that period, yet Iowa still led 13–9.
That early imbalance set the tone. Nothing came easily.
Foul trouble arrived quickly for Heiden, who picked up her second personal with 55 seconds remaining in the first quarter and didn’t return before halftime. Without her on the floor, Northwestern took advantage. Grace Sullivan gave the Wildcats a 27–23 lead midway through the second quarter, energizing a crowd sensing opportunity.
Iowa responded with poise. The Hawkeyes closed the half on a 9–2 run to reclaim control and headed into the locker room leading 32–29. It wasn’t dominant basketball, but it was composed.
Sullivan was brilliant for Northwestern, finishing with 28 points to lead all scorers and consistently challenge Iowa’s interior defense. Wright added 12 points for the Hawkeyes, providing timely scoring when the offense stalled.
Turnovers were Iowa’s biggest self-inflicted wound. The Hawkeyes committed 20 of them, a number that kept Northwestern within striking distance far longer than expected. Add in continued absences starter Kylie Feuerbach, key reserve Emely Rodriguez, along with Kennise Johnson and Jada Gyamfi and Iowa’s margin for error was thin.
Yet the Hawkeyes leaned on experience, defense, and just enough late-game execution.
“We’ll grow from it and hopefully apply it to the next game,” Heiden said during her postgame interview on BTN.
That growth will be tested soon. Iowa hits the road again Sunday to face Indiana, which enters at 11–5 overall but still searching for its first Big Ten win at 0–4.
It won’t be easy. Road wins never are.
