When Northwestern hosted then-No.13 Iowa last season in front of a packed house, few could have predicted anything other than a decisive loss.
After all, the Hawkeyes (14-7, 4-6 Big Ten) boasted a roster led by Caitlin Clark, the future NCAA all-time leading scorer, alongside key contributors like forward Kate Martin, now in the WNBA, and sharpshooters like Gabbie Marshall. The visitors seemed poised to dominate.
Fast forward nearly a year, and what was once a matchup defined by Iowa’s sheer dominance has evolved into something far more competitive. When the Wildcats (7-12, 0-8 Big Ten) took the floor against them on Tuesday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, they looked every bit the equal of their opponents.
The ’Cats were up by 10 midway through the first quarter, but after Iowa regained the lead early in the second, NU never held it again, ultimately dropping its seventh-straight game, 85-80.
Five different NU scorers ended the night with double-digit outputs as both senior forward Caileigh Walsh and junior guard Melannie Daley recorded 15 points to lead the team.
Here are three takeaways from NU’s loss to Iowa:
1. Unusually strong start
Heading into Tuesday’s game, NU had only led after the first quarter in four of its 18 games this season. But against the Hawkeyes, the ’Cats came out firing, dominating the opening period and jumping to a double-digit lead after just-over five minutes of play.
Coach Joe McKeown made a slight shift to his starting lineup, opting for Walsh over junior guard Caroline Lau. The move paid immediate dividends—Lau, who entered the game with 5:41 left in the first quarter, sparked the offense, knocking down a three-pointer just 45 seconds after stepping on the floor. She was one of three Wildcats to hit a long ball in the opening frame.
The Hawkeyes regained the advantage with seven minutes to play in the second quarter and NU never led again.
2. Major 3-point improvement
After NU shot just 2-of-13 from beyond the arc in its most recent loss to Illinois, McKeown called out his team’s 3-point game, noting that the only real threats from deep in his gym were his assistant coaches.
The message clearly struck a nerve with his squad, who started the game with a five first-half triples.
NU hit its first three attempts from beyond the arc, with sophomore guard Casey Harter leading the way. Harter buried one less than three minutes into the game, followed by Walsh and Lau. Before the first quarter buzzer sounded, Harter added another trey to her tally.
Earlier this month McKeown told the Daily that he was hoping to see Harter shoot more from deep, and against Iowa, she delivered.
The ’Cats long-ball prowess continued in the second half and they still finished with a season-high nine made-threes.
Lau ended the game with 13 points and four triples after recording zero points in the Illinois loss.
3. Iowa dominates in the paint
Although NU’s shooting from beyond the arc showed improvement, Iowa dominated in the paint, outscoring the ’Cats 38-26 inside. NU’s defense struggled to contain Iowa forward Hannah Stuelke, who finished with a team-high 26 points.
Stuelke, one of just two returning starters for Iowa, has been a key figure on a squad that has finished as national runners-up in back-to-back seasons.
While both ’Cats and their opponents earned 20 trips to the free-throw line, Iowa outpaced NU at the stripe, making 18 of its foul shots compared to the visitors 13.
Email: audreypachuta2027@u.northwestern.edu
Twitter: @AudreyPachuta
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