Iowa women’s basketball: A collapse, a recovery and 8-0 in the Big Ten

IOWA CITY — Yes, the collapse was massive.

It was followed by a quality, winning response.

“They really leaned into it,” Iowa Coach Jan Jensen said after the 10th-ranked Hawkeyes got past No. 15 Maryland, 85-78, in a Big Ten women’s basketball game Thursday night at College Park, Md.

Iowa built a 17-point lead, and squandered all of it in the final 3 minutes of regulation.

The message in the huddle?

“I just kind of challenged them,” Jensen said. “We knew what we’d done. Now it was up to us.

“I said, ‘Are you going to let the last few minutes spoil it? We’ve got five minutes.’ I could see it in their eyes, and they’re pretty good about getting stuck in the past.”

After giving up the first basket of overtime, the Hawkeyes (17-2) outscored Maryland 12-3 the rest of the way. The reward is an 8-0 Big Ten start, the program’s first in 30 years.

“Winning is hard,” Jensen said. “Winning consistently is hard. You’d better be careful, because when the momentum swings, it’s usually the team that stays level that is successful.

“We keep stacking wins. We’re getting them in different ways.”

Another major challenge awaits Sunday: Iowa welcomes No. 12 Ohio State (18-2, 7-1) at 1 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

“They’re hard to guard,” Jensen said of the Buckeyes. “All of their three guards are really good, and the discussion starts with Jaloni Cambridge. She’s one of the best in the league.”

The 2025 Big Ten freshman of the year, Cambridge is third in the league in scoring at 21.6 points per game.

For Iowa, this is Game 3 of a five-game stretch that will go a long way toward determining its Big Ten finish, as well as its NCAA seed.

The Hawkeyes cleared the first two hurdles, against Michigan State and Maryland. After the Buckeyes battle comes a swing to Los Angeles, against USC (Thursday) and UCLA (next Sunday).

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com