Iowa City Today

Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team is set to host Evansville at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City on Sunday, Nov. 9, with tip-off scheduled for 2 p.m. Central Time. The game will be broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network and streamed live via B1G+. Rob Brooks and Kathryn Reynolds will handle radio commentary, while AJ Reisetter and Sam Kupres will call the action for streaming viewers.

The Hawkeyes enter this matchup after notable achievements in recent seasons. They were the first Big Ten program to compete in back-to-back National Championships (2023 and 2024) and matched the record for most wins in a single season in conference history during 2023-24, tying Purdue’s 1998-99 mark and Maryland’s from 2014-15 with 34 victories. Over the last six years, Iowa has consistently ranked among the top ten programs nationally for attendance.

The team also secured four of the last seven Big Ten Tournament titles (2019, 2022, 2023, and 2024) and maintained a streak of nine consecutive seasons with at least 20 wins—second longest in program history behind their run from 1984 to 1994. Since November 2016, Iowa has posted a home record of 128-20 and is currently riding a strong stretch in conference play with a combined record of 65-19 over four years.

Six Hawkeyes have been drafted into the WNBA since 2019: Kathleen Doyle, Megan Gustafson, Monika Czinano, Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin, and Lucy Olsen. The program has also produced at least one First Team All-Big Ten honoree each season since 2017.

Jan Jensen took over as head coach on May 13, 2024—becoming only the sixth person to lead the program—and achieved more than twenty wins in her debut season. “Jensen is the third coach in Iowa women’s basketball history to notch 20+ wins in her first season.” She now holds second place for most wins by a head coach at Iowa during their inaugural year with a record of 24-11 overall and a conference mark of ten wins against eight losses.

Iowa has appeared in postseason tournaments for all but two seasons over the past quarter century—with nineteen NCAA Tournament bids alongside four appearances in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). This year’s roster features nine freshmen or sophomores—the highest number since the squad fielded similar youth levels during the 2012-13 campaign.

In previous meetings between these teams, Iowa leads Evansville three games to none; their last contest ended with a decisive win for Iowa at home by a score of 115-62 on Nov. 10, 2022.

Evansville enters Sunday’s matchup after losing its opener against Southeast Missouri State by five points (71-66). Camryn Runner led Evansville with her first career double-double—scoring twenty-six points while collecting eleven rebounds. The upcoming game also marks former Hawkeye Molly Davis’ return to Iowa City; she joined Evansville's staff during summer 2024.

In their most recent outing against Southern University, several Hawkeyes delivered strong performances: Ava Heiden posted her first career double-double (twenty-four points on eight-for-thirteen shooting plus fourteen rebounds); Hannah Stuelke scored twenty points along with nine rebounds—her sixty-second career game scoring double digits; Chit-Chat Wright tied her personal best with seven assists; Emely Rodriguez reached double figures for her fifth consecutive game dating back to last season; Taylor Stremlow contributed across multiple categories including rebounds (four), assists (three), blocks (three), and steals (three).

The contest against Evansville continues what has been an eventful period for an experienced yet youthful Hawkeye squad as they seek another successful campaign under new leadership.