Iowa
Iowa women’s basketball sees big value in small steps forward amid Big Ten grind
![Iowa women’s basketball sees big value in small steps forward amid Big Ten grind Iowa women’s basketball sees big value in small steps forward amid Big Ten grind](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2025/01/29/PIOC/78010665007-20250128-u-iv-n-wwbb-0041.jpg?auto=webp&crop=5999,3375,x0,y0&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen outlines progress seen in win over Northwestern
Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen outlines progress seen in Hawkeyes’ win over Northwestern
IOWA CITY — Of all the coaching cliches uttered throughout an arduous college basketball regular season, coaches and players saying they’re taking things one game at a time can generate the most eye rolls.
Big-picture discussions are everywhere this time of year as the bright lights of March inch a little closer. Conference-race projections, weekly bracketologies, constant chatter about how results offer evidence of what might happen in the NCAA Tournament — all attempts to define each game with future context.
For some squads, that’s a justifiable reality. Several programs are in positions where, no matter how much positivity happens ahead of March Madness, NCAA Tournament results will firmly define season narratives. The last two years of Iowa women’s basketball matches that exact scenario.
The current Hawkeyes, though? They’re walking coach-speak for treating every game as its own four-quarter story. And that’s perfectly acceptable as Jan Jensen’s inaugural squad heads into February planted on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Steps forward, even if they’re sometimes small ones, can be appreciated just as much as the emphatic leaps.
Tuesday’s 85-80 win over Northwestern highlights just that.
Was there more turbulence than Iowa (14-7, 4-6 Big Ten Conference) needed against a team that doesn’t have a win in 2025? Yes. Did the Hawkeyes look like a team ready to charge through a rigorous month ahead that features one intense matchup after another? Not exactly.
But in a game with similar framework as some of Iowa’s most painful losses, the Hawkeyes found the conclusion they needed to keep momentum moving forward. Doing so carries ample significance for a developing group.
“I’ve always told this team they’re closer than they are farther away,” Jensen said after Iowa snapped a rare three-game home losing streak ahead of Sunday’s highly anticipated visit from Caitlin Clark, JuJu Watkins and No. 4 USC. “So yeah, do I wish it would look as beautiful and pretty? Absolutely. But I’m telling you what, we are learning maybe the not-as-pretty wins are certainly better than a pretty loss.
“So I want to keep getting better. We certainly need to. We have a heck of an opponent coming up. But this particular team, we need to improve in the areas we aren’t great. But we need to celebrate what we do well.”
Amid frustration that a surge of separation never arrived Tuesday night, Iowa made the best of what it had created.
A seesawing game late created numerous pressure free throws, so five different Hawkeyes stepped up and drained all 12 of them in the fourth quarter. That’s a step forward. Mitigating in-game frustration after Northwestern (7-12, 0-8) constructed a double-digit first-quarter advantage, that’s a step forward.
Hannah Stuelke, after missing two games with a concussion amid her shift back to the “5” position, delivered the second-best scoring night of her career (26 points on 10-for-17 shooting and 6-for-6 from the line). That’s a step forward. Aaliyah Guyton continuing to be a vocal presence in tense moments despite being fresh on the collegiate scene, that’s a step forward.
“I do my mental exercises on and off the court whenever I feel like I’m back-tracking, I have my teammates to help me too,” Guyton said after setting season-highs in points (15) and minutes (31). “Knowing that I’ve put in the work, knowing that my teammates and coaches have my back, that brings energy out of me and that leadership.”
![](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2025/01/29/PIOC/78008266007-20250128-u-iv-n-wwbb-0005.jpg?crop=3193,1797,x0,y238)
Aaliyah Guyton ready to do whatever Iowa women’s basketball needs after success vs. Northwestern
Aaliyah Guyton ready to do whatever Iowa women’s basketball needs after success vs. Northwestern
Considering all Iowa still struggled with — another slow start, another foe going off from deep, another wave of scoring droughts that disrupted offensive rhythm at times despite the strong final total — the Hawkeyes aren’t in a position to be picky about how their victories look.
To some extent, each night inside this daunting league is a roll of the dice until Iowa proves otherwise. One set of 40 minutes may look completely different than the next 40, which may contrast heavily with the 40 after that. Dialing in on one game at a time while valuing the progress is the proper way to dissect the rest of this season, however, and wherever it unfolds.
“Look at us, we’re pretty young,” Jensen said. “We’re trying to figure it out, I’m thrilled. We’ve shown some growth.
“… There was a lot more attention to detail. And we just got a little bit more confidence while leaning into the moment instead of being on our heels. I think that was a big key tonight.”
Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.
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Iowa
No. 3 Iowa 37, Northwestern 3: Wildcat Walloping
No. 3 Iowa 37, Northwestern 3: Wildcat Walloping
On Sunday, the gauntlet let up for #3 Iowa wrestling and the Hawkeyes replaced drama with dominance in a 37-3 rout of Northwestern. Four of Iowa wrestling’s previous five dual meets had been against top-10 ranked opponents, but Sunday’s Big Ten finale was against an overmatched Northwestern squad that boasted just four ranked wrestlers.
The Wildcats won the first match of the dual on Sunday, but it was all downhill after that. Iowa won the remaining nine matches in the dual meet, including a stretch of five straight bonus point wins that featured four technical falls. The Hawkeyes finished with six total bonus point wins and an easy 37-3 win, despite resting starters at a handful of weights. Iowa improves to 13-1 overall and 7-1 in Big Ten competition.
Northwestern’s lone win of the dual meet was the first match of the day, as #9 Trevor Chumbley earned a 4-1 win in sudden victory over freshman Miguel Estrada. Chumbley and Estrada traded escapes but little in the way of credible attacks during regulation, but Chumbley got to Estrada’s legs and finished in sudden victory to notch the victory.
The Wildcats’ lead in the dual was short-lived, though, as #2 Michael Caliendo unleashed a flurry of takedowns to earn a 19-4 technical fall win over #18 Maxx Mayfield early in the second period. Caliendo attacked at multiple levels and from a variety of angles and finished crisply again and again in his blowout win.
Nelson Brands spelled #11 Patrick Kennedy at 174 lbs, but the end result was familiar: a 21-5 technical fall over Aiden Vandenbush. Brands’ tech fall was a little more methodical than Caliendo’s — he needed to wrestle into the third period to secure his bonus point win — but the end result was the same. It was a positive return to the mat for Brands, who came back to Iowa for one final season after a controversial gambling suspension last year, but has found opportunities limited during an injury-hobbled season.
Perhaps no Iowa wrestler needed to put a series of takedowns on the scoreboard more than #8 Gabe Arnold, who had gone 2-2 in his last four matches and recorded just a single takedown over those four bouts. Arnold doubled that count by the end of the first period and added a third, plus some stalling points against Halverson to earn his major decision win. Questions remain about Arnold’s ability to score against high-end opposition at 184 lbs, but hopefully Sunday’s showing gives him a bit more confidence heading into the biggest matches of the season.
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The tech fall train rolled on at 197 and 285, with #1 Stephen Buchanan (at 197) and #11 Ben Kueter (at 285) adding to Iowa’s bonus point tally. Buchanan’s tech fall came as little surprise — he’s scored bonus points in 78% of his wins this season (14 of 18 wins) and this was his seventh technical fall of the year. He mowed through #14 Evan Bates with a combination of takedowns and near fall points en route to a lopsided 18-2 win.
Kueter’s technical fall was more of a surprise, as he’s notched bonus points in only 41% of his wins this year and only one of those six previous bonus point wins was a technical fall. Kueter showed plenty of scoring ability from neutral against Dirk Mosley, stringing together takedowns (and a few near fall points) to pick up the 20-4 technical fall victory. Like Arnold, the hope is that scoring takedowns in bunches here will boost Kueter’s confidence heading into the hardest part of the season.
The bonus points slowed way down for Iowa in the final four bouts of the dual meet, as the only win by more than a regular decision was notched by Cullan Schriever, who had a major decision at 141 lbs. #26 Joey Cruz continued his recent good form with a workmanlike 6-1 decision win over Dedrick Navarro, while Jesse Ybarra replaced regular starter #3 Drake Ayala at 133 with a 7-3 decision win over Massey Odiotti. Schriever picked up Iowa’s final bonus point win with a 9-0 major decision win over Luis Bazan before #3 Kyle Parco wrapped up the dual with a 9-2 win over #25 Sam Cartella.
There’s only so much to be gleaned from a rout over a very overmatchd opponent. Iowa wrestlers will need to beat much tougher opponents at the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments than what they faced on Sunday in order to achieve their individual and team goals next month. But the Hawkeyes also generally did on Sunday what they should do against overmatched opponents: dominate. That will have to suffice until the big events arrive in a few weeks.
NEXT: #3 Iowa wraps up the dual meet season with a primetime showdown against #2 Oklahoma State (13-0) on Sunday, February 23. The dual meet is scheduled to start at 7:30 PM CT on BTN.
Iowa
Iowa State 81-70 Cincinnati (Feb 15, 2025) Game Recap – ESPN
![Iowa State 81-70 Cincinnati (Feb 15, 2025) Game Recap – ESPN Iowa State 81-70 Cincinnati (Feb 15, 2025) Game Recap – ESPN](https://s.espncdn.com/stitcher/sports/basketball/mens-college-basketball/events/401725741.png?templateId=espn.com.share.1)
AMES, Iowa — — Backup guard Curtis Jones made all 12 of his free throws and scored 22 points to help No. 10 Iowa State beat Cincinnati 81-70 on Saturday for its 20th victory of the season.
Joshua Jefferson added 13 points and three steals for the Cyclones (20-5, 10-4 Big 12). Milan Momcilovic had 12 points, and Tamin Lipsey added 11. Lipsey made all three three of his attempts from the field, two of them 3-pointers, and had four steals.
Jizzle James matched his career high with 25 points for the Bearcats (15-10, 5-9). Day Day Thomas added 13.
Cincinnati: The Bearcats struggled to stay out of foul trouble. They they were called for 23 personal fouls and three technical fouls, with two players fouling out.
Iowa State: The Cyclones outrebounded Cincinnati 37-19, with 12 coming off the offensive glass. Iowa State also held the Bearcats to their lowest rebounding total of the season.
Iowa State had a 10-run midway through the second half to regain the lead.
Iowa State overcame a season-high 18 turnovers.
Iowa State hosts Colorado on Tuesday night. Cincinnati is at West Virginia on Wednesday night.
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Iowa
Snow blanketed the state overnight and more is on the way. How much did we get?
![Snow blanketed the state overnight and more is on the way. How much did we get? Snow blanketed the state overnight and more is on the way. How much did we get?](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2025/02/12/PIOC/78462962007-20250212-snow-0016.jpg?auto=webp&crop=5999,3375,x0,y312&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Winter driving tips: Staying safe on icy, snowy roads in Iowa
Five tips to stay safe on icy, snowy roads in Iowa.
Des Moines Register
The snow continues to fall in Iowa and more is expected throughout the weekend.
A thick band of snow swept through the state in the overnight hours and into Saturday morning, depositing varying amounts outside of the metro. Light snow continues to fall in some areas of the state, likely adding to the below totals.
What are the highest snowfall totals in Iowa?
It looks as if most of the overnight snow fell in western and north central Iowa. Here are the areas across the state that received the highest snowfall as of 9 a.m.
- Clayton County: 3.2 inches
- Templeton: 3 inches
- Fort Dodge: 2.5 inches
- Iowa Falls: 2 inches
- Ames: 0.8 inches
How much snow did Des Moines get?
Des Moines and the surrounding metro area avoided any significant snowfall overnight. Neither the National Weather Service nor Iowa Environmental Mesonet had reported accumulation by 8:45 a.m. Saturday.
How are road conditions in Iowa?
Iowa road conditions, according to Iowa 511, were “completely covered” as of 9 a.m. in a west-to-east band from just north of Omaha through Caroll and Boone. Many roads surrounding Fort Dodge and up to Interstate 35 were also completely covered.
The arc of the winter storm seemed to curve around Des Moines and make its way back to north-central Iowa.
Much of Highway 30 from Denison and east to just outside Ames was completely covered while I-35 from Ames to Randall was partially covered. Interstate 35 north of Ellsworth is completely covered until just south of Clear Lake.
Winter weather advisory capable of producing snow, ice and rain in place for much of Iowa
The snow isn’t quite done, as the National Weather Service out of Des Moines expects another system to drop off precipitation west and north of the metro. Ice and blowing snow are anticipated to cause problems as well.
Much of Iowa remains under a winter weather advisory, but not a winter weather warning, throughout Saturday. National Weather Service officials warn of snow across much of Iowa and freezing rain contained to the south.
Des Moines could get two inches of snow or less. A band of snow could produce 2-4 inches from Carroll to Mason City.
Blowing snow thanks to wind gusts beyond 25 mph may impact drivers, especially on “east-west facing roads and rural areas,” the NWS said in a 5 a.m. briefing. The wind could cause drifting along highways and visibility could be reduced to less than a mile in some areas.
Temperatures begin falling Saturday night
Temperatures are expected to plummet as the day bleeds into the night. Wind chills will start falling below zero in Ames, Carroll, Fort Dodge and Creston as midnight hits. The wind is only supposed to worsen as the cold works its way into Monday with most of the state expected to expect wind chills well beyond -10, including Des Moines.
Temperatures may start to dive well beyond zero Sunday night in Des Moines, possibly bottoming out at -3 by 5 a.m. Monday.
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