Contributions came from every corner. Another strong Lucy Olsen effort (21 points) kept Iowa afloat early and in control late. Heiden’s extended cameo with Hannah Stuelke in foul trouble saw her deliver 11 second-half points that should inject a massive confidence boost. Plenty of 3-point action via Taylor McCabe seemed to come at all the right times (4-for-10 from deep).

Thursday’s opening didn’t offer much of that. After McCabe drained a trey on Iowa’s first possession, the Hawkeyes quickly needed Olsen to prevent an early derailment. She delivered the rest of Iowa’s first-quarter points — nine of them — while the Hawkeyes slogged through a scoring drought of five-plus minutes.

It felt significant, though, that Michigan State couldn’t construct a lead larger than six as Iowa sputtered — and the Hawkeyes soon showed why. Iowa emphatically regrouped and ripped off a 16-0 surge to begin the second quarter, resetting Thursday’s tone in the process. More than eight minutes of game clock transpired between first-half Michigan State buckets, as the Spartans struggled to find their own rhythm while sinking into a heftier hole.

Iowa’s 32-25 intermission lead felt more robust than the seven-point cushion indicated. The fact it didn’t hold gave the Hawkeyes a great March practice test for the games ahead.