Hawkeyes Advance to Quarterfinals
Michigan State pressed and pressed and pressed. But the Hawkeyes made got stops and made shots when it counted down the stretch. Freshman center Ava Heiden had her breakout performance in a time of need. Caitlin Clark and the McCaffery boys were on hand and directly opposite the Iowa bench to cheer on the Hawkeyes to a huge 74-61 victory over Michigan State in the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Four Hawkeyes scored in double figures led by Lucy Olsen with 21 points. Hannah Stuelke had a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards to contribute to the hard fought win.
A majority of Ava Heiden’s crucial 12 minutes played were in the second half. She was terrific and productive scoring 12 huge points and battling for 4 rebounds.
With the win, next up, Iowa will face Cotie McMahon and the Buckeyes of Ohio State in the quarterfinals. This Hawkeye team is playing with a tremendous amount of confidence from top to bottom. Iowa lost in overtime to the Buckeyes just a few weeks ago in Iowa City and they will be motivated to avenge that loss to keep rolling along in post season play.
