Iowa women can’t overcome Gopher sophomore’s monster game

MINNEAPOLIS - The Iowa women's basketball team had an answer for almost every Minnesota run last night at Williams Arena.

But in the end, the Hawkeyes had no answer for Amanda Zahui B.

Zahui B., a sophomore from Stockholm, Sweden, who came in averaging 17.5 points per game, scored a game-high 39 points and pulled down 29 rebounds as Minnesota turned back the 13th-ranked Hawkeyes, 93-80, in an offensive Big Ten battle. She went over 1,000 points for her career.

'She just dominated on both ends,” Iowa assistant coach Jenni Fitzgerald said. 'She had an awesome night.”

The win snapped Iowa's four-game winning streak and denied Coach Lisa Bluder her 300th win as the Hawkeyes' coach. Iowa fell to 12-3 in the Big Ten - still in sole possession of second place behind Maryland - and is 21-5 overall. Minnesota improved to 21-6, 10-5.

Samantha Logic did her best to keep the Hawkeyes in the game, scoring 26 points and dishing out 13 assists. Bethany Doolittle added 18 points - 14 in the first half - and 11 rebounds and Melissa Dixon chipped in with 17.

Carlie Wagner helped Minnesota's cause with 17 point and Shae Kelley added 13.

'Not enough defense, not enough rebounding,” Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said.

'Offensively we were fine,” Fitzgerald said. 'It just game down to defense and rebounding and we didn't get the job done.”

The Hawkeyes fell behind early, trailing 18-7 with 15:40 left in the first half. They came back, however, and tied the game at 24 with 11:54 left, but were down by six (48-42) at halftime.

The second half was more of the same.

Down 67-57 with 11:25 left in the games, the Hawkeyes stormed back behind Logic and Dixon to pulled within on (73-72) with 6:37 left. A little over two minutes, however, the Gophers were up by seven and owned a 10-point lead with 1:53 left.

Logic scored 16 of her points in the second half.

Iowa is at Ohio State on Saturday.