Sports

Iowa Women’s Basketball Knocks Out NC State in Sweet 16

Landon Bost

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The University of Iowa Hawkeyes Women’s basketball defeated the N.C. State University Wolfpack 79-61 in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament behind two frontcourt double-double performances and Wolfpack shooting struggles. 

Hawkeyes senior center, and Big Ten Player of the Year and ESPNW National Player of the Year, Megan Gustafson shot 10-13, 76.9 FG%, from the floor for 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Gustafson’s double-double marked her 33rd of the season and tied the NCAA single-season record.  

Hawkeye senior center Megan Gustafson receiving an entry pass.
Hawkeye senior center Megan Gustafson receiving an entry pass.

“(Gustafson) kept her composure very well on the court,” Wolfpack freshman center Elissa Cunane, who matched up with Gustafson, said, “and she just scored a lot around the basket, but she also had the outside shot. So just her style of play, and she was directing her players and leadership on the court is something I can learn from.” 

Hannah Stewart, Iowa senior forward, shot 8-15, 53.3 FG%, from the floor and grabbed 11 rebounds. 

For the Wolfpack (28-6), they shot 9-27, 33.3 FG%, from the floor in the first half and finished shooting 24-69, 34.8 FG%, from the floor. Today’s shooting percentage marked the worst shooting day for the Wolfpack since their first loss of the year against the North Carolina Tar Heels on Feb. 3.

“I was very disappointed in the first half,” Wolfpack head coach Wes Moore said. “I don’t know exactly what happened; that really didn’t look like our team.” 

Down 37-24 at halftime, the Wolfpack went on a run and cut the Hawkeyes lead to five, 43-38, with 4:43 left in the third period.

Hawkeyes forward Hannah Stewart's block on Wolfpack guard Aislinn Konig.
Hawkeyes forward Hannah Stewart’s block on Wolfpack guard Aislinn Konig.

“We know basketball is a game of runs,” Steward said. “We know that N.C. State is going to try their hardest to fight back just like any team will, and when there was a timeout after that happened, were like: ‘OK they had their run, and now it’s time for us to go back to work again.’ A lot of their fast breaks were from our turnovers, so we just tried to cut those down.” 

However, the Hawkeyes (29-6) extended their lead to 12, 56-44, by the end of the third period and never looked back.  

Wolfpack senior graduate student Kiara Leslie’s Greensboro Coliseum shooting struggles continued as she shot 6-18, 33.3 FG%, from the floor, 1-4 3FG, for a team-high 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds.  

“We didn’t play the way we wanted to today,” Leslie said, “but they played hard for us. I personally take some of the blame for us starting off a little bit slow. 

Cunane had her worst shooting performance since Jan. 31. She shot 6-19, 31.6 FG%, from the floor for 14 points. Wolfpack senior forward DD Rogers added 12 points. 

Wolfpack graduate student guard Kiara Leslie driving to the basket.

The Wolfpack’s second consecutive Sweet 16 loss marked the end of their 2018-19 campaign which featured everything from a 21-game winning streak to start the year to four season-ending injuries.

“The whole body of work,” Moore said. “you have to be really proud of these players and all they have been through. They could have really hung their heads and got down four different occasions, when you had some key players go out, and they didn’t … Hopefully, we can build on what they have helped happened here.”