Johanna Solverson scored a career-high 31 points as Iowa claimed a share of the Big Ten women’s basketball title with an 87-78 victory today at Wisconsin. The title is Iowa’s first conference crown since 1998.
Iowa tied with Ohio State, which beat Northwestern 74-50 today, with 13-5 conference records. The Hawkeyes led throughout, making 10 of their first 12 shots to jump to a 27-7 lead with 9 minutes 32 seconds left in the first half. They made 17-of-23 shots in the first half, a school-record 73.9 percent for shooting in a half.
Solverson, a senior fueled the torrid shooting by making 10 of 12 shots, including three 3-pointers in the first half for 23 points. Ohio State was named top seed for the Big Ten tournament, which starts Thursday in Indianapolis. Iowa, the No. 2 seed, will play at 10:30 a.m. on Friday against the winner of Thursday’s Michigan-Penn State matchup.