Big performance by the posts pushes Iowa past Michigan State, 75-68

IOWA CITY — Merge a pair of her independent postgame snippets Sunday, and Hannah Stuelke is an old butterfly.

That aging insect put together a Big Ten player-of-the-week-caliber kind of week.

Stuelke and Ava Heiden ruled the paint, and 11th-ranked Iowa topped No. 15 Michigan State, 75-68, in a Big Ten women’s basketball game before a crowd of 14,988 Sunday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

“It’s her senior year, and I thought she felt the tightness and sentimentality,” Iowa Coach Jan Jensen said. “I think she’s freed up and doing it with her actions.”

Sunday’s actions were this: 22 points (on 10-of-14 shooting), nine rebounds and five assists.

In her last two games: 40 points, 17 boards and 13 assists.

“I’ve been feeling great,” Stuelke said. “I’ve had a lot of recovery. I realize I’m old now. These high-energy games give us fuel.”

Whoa, Hannah, wait. Back up a bit.

Old?

“Over the summer, I turned 22,” she said. “It doesn’t sound old, but in basketball years ... ”

Stuelke’s baseline floater at the 2:55 mark beat the shot clock and gave Iowa (16-2 overall, 7-0 Big Ten) a 73-66 lead and pretty much thwarted Michigan State’s rally.

“I was floating like a butterfly” on that shot, she said.

“Yeah, she winked at me as she was going up (for that shot),” said Ava Heiden, who added 20 points on 8-of-13 accuracy.

Iowa remained in a tie for the Big Ten lead with UCLA, and could have a top-10 spot in the Associated Press poll when it’s released Monday.

Stuelke’s shot was major. So was another, by Chit-Chat Wright.

Wright’s 50-foot fling — a step behind halfcourt — at the end of the first quarter found the net, giving Iowa a 22-16 advantage.

“When she shot it, I thought out loud, ‘That’s good,’” Jensen said. “Every day, they all launch (those shots), just in case we need something like that.

“Those are the things you need to go your way.”

Iowa led 41-29 at halftime, and had its largest lead of the game at 53-36 on Wright’s 3-pointer at the 5:50 mark of the third quarter.

Michigan State (17-2, 6-2) was within nine by the end of the period, and got as close as 71-66 before Stuelke’s “butterfly” shot from the baseline quelled the comeback.

Wright scored 11 points, Taylor McCabe nine, Addie Deal eight.

Iowa’s best all-around game of the season?

“I would have said so, but those dog-gone turnovers in the second half,” Jensen said. “And I do think we shot too many 3-pointers for a stretch, considering how dominant our posts were.”

Grace Van Slooten paced the Spartans with 17 points and seven rebounds before fouling out. Jalyn Brown added 16 points, Juliann Woodard 14.

The Hawkeyes play at Maryland at 5 p.m. (CT) Thursday.

Iowa 75, Michigan State 68

At Iowa City

MICHIGAN STATE (68): Grace Van Slooten 7-17 3-4 17, Ines Sotelo 2-6 0-0 5, Rashunda Jones 3-6 3-6 9, Jalyn Brown 6-10 4-4 16, Kennedy Blair 2-5 0-0 4, Juliann Woodard 4-7 2-2 14, Emma Shumate 1-3 0-0 3, Marah Dykstra 0-1 0-0 0, Sara Sambolic 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 25-56 12-16 68.

IOWA (75): Hannah Stuelke 10-14 2-4 22, Ava Heiden 8-13 4-5 20, Taylor McCabe 3-12 0-0 9, Kylie Feuerbach 2-7 0-0 5, Chit-Chat Wright 4-6 1-1 11, Journey Houston 0-0 0-0 0, Taylor Stremlow 0-0 0-0 0, Addie Deal 3-4 0-0 8, Layla Hays 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-56 7-10 75.

Michigan State 16 13 27 12 — 68

Iowa 22 19 24 10 — 75

3-point goals: MSU 6-16 (Sotelo 1-3, Jones 0-1, Brown 0-1, Woodard 4-6, Shumate 1-3, Dykstra 0-1, Sambolic 0-1), Iowa 8-23 (Heiden 0-1, McCabe 3-11, Feuerbach 1-5, Wright 2-4, Deal 2-2). Team fouls: MSU 18, Iowa 12. Fouled out: Van Slooten. Rebounds: MSU 29 (Van Slooten 7), Iowa 31 (Stuelke 9). Assists: MSU 11 (Blair 3), Iowa 23 (Stuelke 5). Steals: MSU 14 (Jones 4), Iowa 12 (Stuelke, Feuerbach 3). Turnovers: MSU 15, Iowa 16.

Attendance: 14,988.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com