Jan Jensen P. Sue Beckwith, MD, Head Women's Basketball Coach | University of Iowa Athletics
Jan Jensen P. Sue Beckwith, MD, Head Women's Basketball Coach | University of Iowa Athletics
The University of Iowa women’s basketball team opened its season with a win over Southern University, finishing 86-51 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Monday night.
Sophomore Ava Heiden led the team, achieving her first career double-double with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Senior Hannah Stuelke contributed 20 points and nine rebounds, making eight of her eleven field goal attempts.
Iowa began the game with a balanced offensive effort, ending the first quarter narrowly ahead at 15-14. Five Hawkeyes scored in the opening period, with Heiden leading in both points and rebounds.
In the second quarter, Iowa went on an 11-2 run during the first five minutes. The Hawkeyes scored most of their points from inside and forced seven turnovers by Southern University. By halftime, Iowa led 37-24.
The team maintained momentum in the third quarter and increased their lead to 61-39. Sophomore Chit-Chat Wright recorded her seventh assist of the game during this period, while Iowa’s defense continued to force turnovers.
In the fourth quarter, sophomore Emely Rodriguez added seven points as Iowa closed out the game with a strong finish.
Stuelke’s performance marked her 62nd career game scoring in double digits—the most among active players on the team—and tied her for thirteenth place for games with ten or more points since 2009. It was also her first time reaching twenty points since March 2, 2025. Heiden became only the fifteenth player in program history to record a double-double with at least twenty points as a sophomore since 2009.
Wright matched her career-best seven assists—a mark she previously reached twice at Georgia Tech—while Rodriguez recorded her first double-digit scoring performance as a Hawkeye. Freshmen Addie Deal, Layla Hays, and Journey Houston all scored their first official points for Iowa during the first half.
This home opener was notable for being Iowa women’s basketball’s third consecutive season-opening sellout (14,998 attendees). The program has now sold out its last thirty-seven home games—the longest current streak nationally—and has won its last twenty-six season openers. Since 2018-19, Iowa is now 97-6 when recording eighty or more points along with twenty or more assists in a single game.
Iowa will next play Evansville on Sunday, Nov. 9 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena at 2 p.m., with coverage available through B1G+ (subscription required) and the Hawkeye Radio Network.
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