Hawkeyes clear first-round NCAA hurdle, 92-57, over Murray State

NORMAN, Okla. — Many saw trouble when Hannah Stuelke picked up two fouls in less than 2 minutes.

Ava Heiden saw opportunity.

“With any team, it’s next (player) up,” Heiden said. “I’ve got to come in and help any way I can.”

Heiden scored 13 of her team-high 15 points in the first half, and Iowa routed Murray State, 92-57, in an NCAA women’s basketball tournament first-round game Saturday afternoon at Lloyd Noble Center.

The Hawkeyes (23-10) won their first-round game for the sixth consecutive tournament.

This was Jan Jensen’s first NCAA game as head coach, and neither she nor her team blinked.

“I texted (former coach) Lisa (Bluder) before the game and said, ‘Hey, what have you got for me,’” Jensen said.

“She replied, ‘Pray and breathe.’”

There was plenty of time to exhale in the second half. Leading just 35-30 with 1:27 left in the second quarter, Iowa scored the final seven points of the half for a 12-point advantage.

Then, the Hawkeyes landed a 30-10 haymaker in the third quarter.

Game over.

Next up: No. 11 Oklahoma (26-7) in the second round Monday (time TBA). The Sooners pulled away late from Florida Gulf Coast, 81-58.

Murray State (25-8) entered as the nation’s most prolific offensive team at 87.8 points per game. The Hawkeyes held the Racers to a season-low 57 (the previous low was 60, against LSU in November).

“They like to push the ball and shoot the 3 a lot,” Iowa’s Sydney Affolter said. “We like to, too.”

The Hawkeyes did it better. Much better.

Stuelke picked up her second foul at the 8:07 mark of the first quarter, and Murray State led 6-2 shortly thereafter.

Enter Heiden, who picked up seven points and four rebounds by quarter’s end. She hit 7 of 11 shots.

Iowa’s four available freshmen — Heiden, Taylor Stremlow, Aaliyah Guyton and Callie Levin — combined for 31 points.

“It was good to see, especially with Ava,” Stuelke said. “Now, I’ll be more rested for Monday.”

That’s when the Hawkeyes face No. 11 Oklahoma/Florida Gulf Coast in the second round (time and TV TBA).

Lucy Olsen added 12 points and 12 assists. Sydney Affolter and Stuelke scored 11 apiece. Stremlow tallied 10, Taylor McCabe nine.

Twelve Hawkeyes played, and all of them scored. That included Levin, who registered the first basket of her career on a reverse layup with 32 seconds to go.

Iowa’s 28 assists were the most in program history in an NCAA game. That propelled the Hawkeyes to 56-percent shooting (41 of 73), including 8 of 17 from the 3-point arc.

Meanwhile, Murray State hit just 19 of 62 from the floor (30.6 percent), 5 of 30 from long range.

“We were locked into our game plan,” Olsen said. “We did a really good job contesting the 3-point line.”

Murray State’s fate was sealed when leading scorer Katelyn Young — one of 18 players in Division-I history with 3,000-plus career points — went out with an apparent ankle injury.

Young didn’t return. She finished with six points on 1-of-7 shooting from the field.

Waterloo native Halli Poock led the Racers with 15 points.

So that’s one down for the Hawkeyes, who have reached the championship game both of the last two years.

Win another, and it’s off to Spokane, Wash., for the Sweet 16.

“I don’t want this season to ever end,” Olsen said.

Iowa 92, Murray State 57

NCAA First Round, at Norman, Okla.

MURRAY STATE (57): Ava Learn 3-9 2-4 8, Katelyn Young 1-7 4-6 6, Halli Poock 6-16 3-3 15, Haven Ford 2-9 4-4 8, Trinity White 0-2 0-0 0, Briley Pena 3-6 0-0 9, Jada Cook 1-5 0-0 2, Braxcynn Baker 3-4 0-0 8, Grace Billington 0-1 1-2 1, Adriana Blazquez 0-2 0-0 0, Adalyn Koelling 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-62 14-19 57.

IOWA (92): Hannah Stuelke 5-6 1-3 11, Taylor McCabe 3-4 0-0 9, Sydney Affolter 5-7 0-0 11, Kylie Feuerbach 3-7 0-0 8, Lucy Olsen 6-15 0-0 12, Ava Heiden 7-11 1-1 15, Aaliyah Guyton 2-5 0-0 4, Taylor Stremlow 4-6 0-0 10, Addison O’Grady 2-5 0-0 4, Jada Gyamfi 1-2 0-0 2, Callie Levin 1-2 0-0 2, A.J. Ediger 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 41-73 2-4 92.

Murray State 12 18 10 17 — 57

Iowa 18 24 30 20 — 92

3-point goals: Murray State 5-30 (Learn 0-3, Young 0-2, Poock 0-8, Ford 0-3, White 0-1, Pena 3-5, Cook 0-3, Baker 2-3, Billington 0-1, Blazquez 0-1), Iowa 8-17 (McCabe 3-4, Affolter 1-1, Feuerbach 2-4, Olsen 0-3, Stremlow 2-4, Gyamfi 0-1). Team fouls: Murray State 11, Iowa 17. Fouled out: Learn. Rebounds: Murray State 32 (Learn 10), Iowa 44 (Affolter 8). Assists: Murray State 7 (Learn, Young 2), Iowa 28 (Olsen 12). Steals: Murray State 7 (Pena 3), Iowa 8 (three with 2). Turnovers: Murray State 15, Iowa 15.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com