Last weekend, the Iowa women's basketball team fell short in a marquee matchup with UCONN. They had another chance on Sunday to earn a signature win. Jan Jensen's team took advantage of the opportunity.
The Hawkeyes thoroughly dominated No. 8 Vanderbilt in Sioux City, walking away with a 75-65 win. The final score doesn't indicate how well Iowa played in this game. They were up by 20 points for most of the afternoon before the Commodores scored some late buckets in garbage time. This was an extremely impressive performance from the Hawkeyes.
From a balanced team attack to stars playing like stars, fans learned a lot about Iowa from this game. Here are the biggest takeaways from Iowa's statement victory over Vanderbilt.
Ava Heiden was dominant
Iowa's third-year center
was in control of this game from tip-off to the final buzzer. She finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds in 34 minutes, shooting 7-of-12 from the field. Five of those boards were offensive rebounds, as she kept possessions alive for Iowa. Heiden also stayed out of foul trouble, which is huge for her and this team going forward.
The Hawkeyes love to run their offense through the post. And when Heiden is at her best, there aren't many offenses that are as efficient as Iowa's. This was a great game for the Sherwood, Oregon, native.
Iowa shut down Mikayla Blakes
Blakes is one of the best pure scorers in the country, averaging 25 points per game during her collegiate career. She's capable of dropping 30 whenever she wants to. Iowa completely took her out of this game. While Blakes finished with a game-high 20 points, she was far from efficient. The third-year guard shot just 6-of-22 from the field and 1-of-7 from behind the arc.
Vanderbilt goes as Blakes does. Iowa getting her out of rhythm threw the Commodores off. They were never able to recover. It takes a team effort to slow down a player as talented as Blakes. Iowa's entire roster and coaching staff deserve a lot of credit for executing the game plan against her.
Everyone chipped in
This was the epitome of a team win. While Heiden was excellent, she wasn't the only Hawk to show up. Chit-Chat Wright scored a team-high 16 points, knocking down four of Iowa's seven three-pointers. She also added four assists while playing 38 minutes. Amari Whiting continued to be impressive, contributing 11 points and 12 rebounds to the cause. The Oklahoma State transfer has been relentless on the glass all season.
Freshman McKenna Woliczko added six points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Taylor Stremlow led the offense with six assists. Off the bench, Dani Carnegie only played eight minutes, but scored ten points. Journey Houston pitched in eight points and six boards of her own. This was a great game for Iowa's entire roster. Everyone contributed to this win.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Takeaways as Iowa women's basketball downs Vanderbilt in Top 10 clash
