The Iowa women were down by two at halftime, but rallied to defeat ninth-ranked Michigan State 75-64 in Big Ten play in Iowa City. Coach Lisa Bluder says it was the team’s defense that was key. She says she thought they played with great emotion and passion, and the defensive effort really showed through. Freshman center Megan Skouby led the Hawkeyes with 27 points and eight rebounds, Crystal Smith had 18 and Krista VandVenter had 17 points.
Bluder says the win over a ranked team is an important momentum builder. Bluder says you can’t buy something like this, you can only earn it. Bluder says they now have to face an Ohio State team that was picked to win the conference. Bluder says this win was only one game and they have to keep it going. Iowa moves to 10-5 overall and 2-1 in the conference. Iowa faces Ohio State Thursday.