IOWA CITY, Iowa– The Hawkeyes made a respectable effort in the final few minutes to complete a comeback against Indiana, but it was a little too late as they fall 74-67. 

Turnovers have plagued the Hawkeye offense all season long and that was no different to start things off. Iowa turned it over on three of its first four possessions while Indiana star Yarden Garzon crushed the Hawkeyes early. She poured on a pair of threes and had eight of her team’s 14 points to give them a seven-point lead at the first break. 

Things would get chippy with a very questionable technical foul assessed to Sydney Affolter after causing a ‘delay of game.’ That would get the Carver faithful fired up and the Hawkeyes would lock things down throughout the final five minutes. They limited Indiana to one field goal in that time span, but still trailed by five at the end of the first quarter. 

Iowa’s offense sputtered and failed to get any consistency. Jumpers weren’t falling and a handful of impossible shots inside the paint helped Indiana carve out to a 10-point lead halfway through the second quarter. A couple tough Addison O’Grady buckets inside helped put Iowa in position, but it was Stremlow’s energy that really helped give Iowa a fighting chance. 

Stremlow helped lead a 6-0 run over the final 57 seconds of the half to bring Iowa back within six. After an O’Grady layup, Stermlow stole the inbounds pass, got fouled and knocked down a pair of free throws. Iowa only shot 35.5 percent from the field, including 25 percent from three while turning the ball over nine times in the first 20 minutes. 

McCabe kicked things off with a three-pointer to start the second-half and Iowa’s action looked a lot stronger in the first few minutes. Indiana would keep pace with some easy shots at the rim, but there was a different fire out of halftime. 

That flame was diminished by Garzon and Sydney Parrish, who would hit back-to-back threes to go back up by 10 with 3:45 remaining. Iowa had several opportunities to snatch momentum back from the Hoosiers, but couldn’t get that one extra clutch bucket that they needed. 

Indiana answered every mini-run that Iowa had. They were numerous chances to cut it back within five heading into the final quarter, but Chloe Moore-McNeil and Parrish each a hit a three-pointer over the final 90 seconds to halt any Iowa run. 

Iowa’s freshmen helped give them a fighting chance. Guyton hit a couple big buckets while Heiden enjoyed her breakout game. The Hawkeyes would get it together late. A Stremlow steal led to a McCabe three to bring Iowa back within four. As they have done all night, the Hoosiers fought back. 

The Hawkeyes are entering gut-check time and desperately need to get back in the win column. They will look to recapture momentum when they host Nebraska on Thursday inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 

Star(s) of the Game:

Taylor Stremlow- She has become an energizer bunny for Jan Jensen’s group. Her offensive game still is a work in progress, but there are a lot of intangible things that she brings to the floor. Her hustle, willingness to dive on the floor, attitude toward playing defense and rebounding help drive her squad when she’s on the floor. Like the rest of the freshman class, it’s going to get better as time goes along. 

Stremlow ended with seven points, nine rebounds, four assists and five steals. 

Ava Heiden- There’s no question that Heiden has a bright future for the Hawkeyes and Sunday was a nice mini-breakout for her. As a freshman, she has struggled with foul troubles and it’s more difficult for post players to adjust to power-conference basketball than guards. Heiden was terrific and looked confident on Sunday afternoon. Iowa will need more post depth as the year goes along and Sunday proved that she can be serviceable. 

She finished with eight points, five rebounds and three blocks in 16 minutes. 

Honorable Mention- Taylor McCabe

The junior has become Iowa’s best perimeter weapon and is making a case that she should be starting. Her defense has improved through the course of the season and she has among the quickest releases in the country. She tallied 15 points and made four three-pointers. 

Up Next: The Hawkeyes are back in action on Thursday when they host Nebraska. They haven’t faced the Huskers since their thrilling Big Ten Tournament title showdown against them, so the energy level is going to be incredibly high. 

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