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Hawkeyes smash Rutgers in the Big Ten opener

On3 imageby: Kyle Huesmann7 hours agoHuesmannKyle

One of the most dominating performances you’ll see the Iowa Women’s Basketball team put up in Big Ten play, the Hawkeyes dominated Rutgers from start to finish for a 79-36 win on Saturday night in Piscataway. The 43-point win marks the ninth-largest conference margin of victory in program history, and the 36 points allowed are tied for the fewest given up in those nine games. With the win, Iowa moves to 9-0 for the first time since the 2004-05 season and opens Big Ten play with a 1-0 record for the sixth consecutive year.

“Rutgers, they like to play at a little slower pace, not really trying to get up and down or make it a fast-paced game, but I thought we defended them really well and then didn’t let that affect us on the offensive end of the floor,” said assistant coach Abby Stamp on the postgame radio broadcast. “We were still able to play at our pace, we didn’t get into their type of game, so we were really glad to see that. Overall, really great performances.”

Coming into the matchup, there were questions about the Hawkeyes ability to handle the Scarlet Knights length and offensive rebounding. It quickly became clear that they would have no trouble at all. Iowa jumped out to a 6-0 lead, with Ava Heiden converting her first three looks, including a transition feed from Kylie Feuerbach. Just 2:16 into the game, Rutgers head coach Coquese Washington was forced to take a timeout.

“To come out on the road in the Big Ten and make the other team call a timeout early like that, that’s exactly what you want to be doing,” said Stamp.

There was little to no let up from the Hawkeyes. Taylor Stremlow continued her solid three-point shooting knocking down a triple to extend the advantage. Consecutive baskets from Layla Hays to end the quarter gave Iowa a 22-6 lead that would only grow as the game went on.

Jan Jensen’s squad shared the ball at an exceptionally high level, while their defense kept the Scarlet Knights from building any sort of positive momentum. A 12-2 run in the second quarter, capped by a Taylor McCabe three-pointer made it 34-8. Then, to open the second half, McCabe found the bottom of the net again, knocking down a pair of triples, getting the wheels turning on a 23-4 quarter that built the Hawkeyes lead to 65-18 after three quarters.

Defensively, Iowa held the Scarlet Knights to 6 points, 8 points and 4 points through three quarters, with Rutgers shooting just 21.9% (14-of-64) for the game. They couldn’t generate offense in their usual ways, managing only 13 points from free throws and second-chance opportunities, well below their 32.8 per game average.

“Really, really impressed with our defensive effort tonight. Let up a bit in the fourth quarter, but to hold them to 21% shooting, that’s outstanding no matter who you’re playing,” said Stamp. “Feeling really confident in that defense and our rebounding, and when we take care of it on that (defensive) end, it really can set us up to get our transition going, which we did early (in the game).”

On the night, the Hawkeyes shot 49.2% (32-of-65) from the floor and 46.2% (6-of-13) from three-point range. Ava Heiden led the way in scoring, putting up 17 points, while Journey Houston was impressive, adding 14 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Taylor McCabe finished with 14 points, made four threes, and Taylor Stremlow tallied nine points and five assists.

Up Next: The Hawkeyes will travel across the state for the Cy-Hawk match against the 10th-ranked Iowa State Cyclones on Wednesday night. Tipoff is set for 6:00pm CT on ESPN.

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