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No. 9 Iowa beats No. 8 Michigan 59-42, advances to Big Ten title game vs UCLA

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Ava Heiden scored 16 points, Hannah Stuelke and Chazadi Wright each had 13, and No. 9 Iowa pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat No. 8 Michigan 59-42 on Saturday in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.

The Hawkeyes outscored the Wolverines 24-6 in the fourth quarter. Stuelke, who also had 10 rebounds, scored seven points in the initial 2:23 of the final quarter to push Iowa ahead 42-38.

That was part of a pivotal 15-2 run. Wright and Taylor Stremlow hit 3s on back-to-back possessions, then Heiden converted a layup for a 50-38 lead. Stremlow had 11 points with three 3s.

The Hawkeyes (26-5) advance to Sunday’s championship game against the second-ranked and defending champion UCLA Bruins (30-1), who beat No. 11 Ohio State 72-62 in Saturday’s first semifinal.

Iowa got off to a 9-0 start and limited Michigan to a season-low output for a first quarter in taking a 13-4 lead after one. But the Wolverines rallied. Mila Holloway, who missed her first seven shots, gave Michigan its first lead at 34-33 on a three-point play with 6:08 remaining in the third quarter.

Holloway sank a pullup jumper with 37 seconds left to give Michigan a 36-35 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Holloway and Olivia Olson each had 10 points, but combined to make 8 of 26 shots, including 1 of 9 on 3-pointers.

Michigan (25-6) set a program record for regular-season and conference victories. But their last two losses were to the Hawkeyes, who won 62-44 on Feb. 22 in Iowa City.

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Hawkeyes are set to play Vanderbilt in a November women’s basketball game in Sioux City, Iowa

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Vanderbilt and Iowa, both ranked in the top 10 late last season, will meet in a women's basketball game early next season in northwest Iowa, the schools announced Tuesday. The neutral-site game is set for Nov. 15 at the Tyson Events Center, which is 290 miles from Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. Vanderbilt is 4-0 all-time against the Hawkeyes. This will be the teams' first meeting since 1997. The Commodores are expected to return national scoring leader Mikayla Blakes. She averaged 27 points per game and was Southeastern Conference player of the year. Vanderbilt was ranked as high as No. 5 and finished No. 10 with a 29-5 record after reaching the NCAA Sweet 16.
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