Iowa guard Chit-Chat Wright (11) passes the basketball around Illinois guard Destiny Jackson (2) Feb. 26, 2026 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo: Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen)

David Eickholt | Hawkeye Insider

IOWA CITY, Iowa– Nerves in front of a sold-out crowd would break most young teams, but Jan Jensen’s crew grew up on Thursday night. Illinois was red-hot from three-point range, but the Hawkeyes fought and overcame all obstacles in the win. 

Iowa had an early scare when senior leader Hannah Stuelke fell to the floor and grabbed her forearm. A scrap for the basketball resulted in multiples players hitting the ground battling for it. Stuelke would leave the court for a few minutes before checking back in. Iowa raced out to a 10-0 lead. Potential all-American Ava Heiden scored six during that stretch. 

Illinois struggled with its jumpers in the first few minutes, but would eventually attack the rim. Former Hawkeye Aaliyah Guyton scored five of Illinois’ first 11 points as they battled back to get within one. 

Turnovers have hurt the Hawkeyes repeatedly this season and that’s what allowed the Fighting Illini to go toe-for-toe with Iowa. Five first quarter turnovers resulted in nine Illini points as Iowa’s transitional defense struggled. Senior Kylie Feuerbach helped steady the ship with a pair of three-pointers, including one at the buzzer to give Iowa a 20-17 lead through one. 

Illinois began to give Iowa some problems. They were playing handsy defense without getting called for a foul and continued to beat Iowa’s guards with an explosive first step. A Guyton three-pointer pushed Illinois ahead 30-26 until Taylor Stremlow battled back with a reverse layup while drawing the foul. 

Tensions began to boil over between teams, coaches and officials. A string of possessions resulted in charge calls that got a rowdy crowd even more fired up. Feuerbach and Heiden both had to sit for the final stretch due to having two fouls. Stuelke and Stremlow combined for 14 of Iowa’s 15 second quarter points. 

Cearah Parchment was a problem for the Hawkeyes. Her shooting range combined with her 6-foot-3 frame and athleticism helped her record a game-high 13 points in the first-half, which was capped off with a three-pointer at the end of the half to tie it at 35. 

Things began to get too easy for Illinois. Ball action resulted in multiple open corner three-pointers and their explosive first-steps would get them into the paint. A Guyton lay-up plus the foul would give her team a five-point lead with five minutes to go in the third quarter. Heiden would be the sole force for Iowa’s offense on the other end.

For the second straight game, she began to pour it on in the third quarter. Crafty layups and a jumper gave her eight points in the first four minutes and there was little the Fighting Illini could do to prevent it. That same swagger that showed off against Michigan had returned. 

Iowa switched into a zone-defense to try to limit some of the driving that had killed them throughout the game. It didn’t amount too much success. Illinois scorched the nets from distance, converting all four of its attempts. 

Parchment’s versatility and Iowa’s inability to settle into its offense resulted in a horrific start to the fourth quarter. The Fighting Illini went on an 8-0 run, which was capped off by a Parchment triple to put them up 64-58 with 7:45 to go. 

Every single possession, Iowa began to feed Heiden. She feasted with a variety of moves involving complex footwork and wasn’t afraid to put her shoulder down. The Oregon native brought Iowa back within one with under four minutes. 

Journey Houston’s jumper and a Stuelke layup put Iowa in a winning position if they could simply get the stops. Illinois’ Berry Wallace’s explosiveness and craftiness with the ball allowed her to get straight into the paint for the open game-leading layup. Chit Chat Wright was held in check all night until she was fouled with 56 seconds left. She buried the two free throws to give Iowa a 75-73 lead. 

A Jensen timeout allowed Heiden to get back into the ball game. Wright stalled the offense at the top of the key, fed Stuelke at the top of the post and she delivered a beautiful dime to a cutting Heiden for the easy layup. 

Iowa’s seniors have delivered all throughout their career and they did one final time. Stuelke delivered two clutch free throws inside the final 20 seconds and Feuerbach drew the game-clinching offensive foul. The Hawkeyes go out on top. 

Star(s) of the Game:

Taylor Stremlow- Iowa’s energizer bunny is playing the best basketball of her career and has never played with more confidence. Stremlow made two reverse layups to ignite her teammates and get the crowd on its feet. She was also splendid in the passing game. Finding open teammates, feeding the post and cutters. The sophomore is more than a glue player. She has started to transform into an all-around player that can provide consistent production across multiple aspects of the game. 

Stremlow finished with 11 points, 11 assists and three rebounds. 

Second Half Heiden- The four turnovers in the first-half were a problem, but her ability and willingness to takeover when the game matters most stands out. She’s going to be one of the best posts in college basketball for the next two years. 

Stat(s) of the Game: 

10 Iowa turnovers in the first-half resulted in 17 Illinois points. 

The Hawkeyes went 2-of-5 from three-point range in the first 20 minutes. 

IOWA INDIVIDUAL NOTES
– Ava Heiden led Iowa with 28 points (13-18 FG) and four rebounds.
– Over the last four games, Heiden is 46-of-62 from the floor. (70 percent)
– Heiden has reached double figures in 16 straight games and against all 16 Big Ten opponents played this season.
– Heiden has scored 20+ points a team-best 11 times this season and in five out of the last six games.
– Hannah Stuelke became the seventh player in program history to record 1,500+ points and 850+ rebounds in a career.
– Stuelke recorded 18 points (4-6 FT), five rebounds, and four assists.
– Stuelke is the 16th player in program history to net 1,500+ career points. 
– Stuelke is the ninth player in school history to grab 850+ career rebounds.
– Stuelke has recorded a double-double in three out of the last four games.
– Taylor Stremlow notched her first career double-double with 11 points, a career-high 11 assists, and three rebounds.
– Stremlow has reached double figures in three out of the last four games.
– Stremlow made her fourth consecutive start and 12th of the year. 
– The Hawkeyes are 12-0 in such games when Stremlow is in the starting lineup this season.  
– Journey Houston added nine points and a team-high eight rebounds.
– Chit-Chat dished out five assists, four rebounds, and four points.

IOWA TEAM NOTES
– Iowa will finish the regular season 14-1 at home and 8-1 against Big Ten teams.
– The Hawkeyes have won 14+ games inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the 14th time in school history.
– Jensen’s 14 home victories are the most by a head coach in their second season at the helm.
– The Hawkeyes have won 14 or more conference games in six out of the last eight seasons including four out of the last five.
– Iowa has sold-out 51 consecutive games which is the longest active streak dating back to Feb. 26, 2023.
– The Hawkeyes have welcomed 224,970 fans in 15 regular season home games this season.
– Iowa has won 14 or more Big Ten games 16 times in program history. 
– Jensen becomes the second coach in program history to record 14+ Big Ten wins in their second season. (C. Vivian Stringer)
– The Hawkeyes have beaten the Illini 13 times in a row inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Up Next: Iowa is back in action one more time this regular season when they travel to Wisconsin to take on the Badgers. The Hawkeyes have clinched a double-bye for the Big Ten Tournament, but could solidify a two-seed with a win over Wisconsin.