The Iowa women had their six-game winning streak snapped Sunday, losing to Nebraska in the Big 10 Tournament championship game 72-65. The Hawkeyes trailed by 8 points at halftime after several players got in early foul trouble. Coach Lisa Bluder was confident her team would come back in the second half.
“I thought we were going to win this game. I thought the second half was going to be ours,” Bluder said. “But, unfortunately, the fouls continued.” Nebraska made 30 of 36 free throw attempts, while Iowa shot just 14 free throws, making 11.
Nebraska outrebounded the Hawkeyes 58-27. “We did things well enough, in our fourth game in four days, to win this,” Bluder said. “Except the box outs and the fouls…those are the only two things.” Bluder drew a technical foul after stomping her foot with 4:43 to go and the Hawkeyes down just 58-56. Nebraska (25-6) quickly widened the lead and held on for the eighth straight win over Iowa.
Bluder said after the game she stomped her foot to get the attention of her players, not the referees. Rachel Theriot, named the tournament’s MVP, led Nebraska with 24 points — including 19 in the second half. Iowa, at 26-8, should be NCAA Tournament bound.