Junior Hannah Stuelke led Iowa with 17 points, reaching her 1,000th career point milestone, and also grabbed seven rebounds. Senior Lucy Olsen followed with 14 points and 7 assists, while senior Sydney Affolter contributed a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Senior Kylie Feuerbach also added 13 points.

In the first quarter, Iowa came out strong putting up 18 points compared to the Gophers’ seven. The Hawkeyes capitalized behind the arc, sinking four threes and dominating the boards with 13 rebounds. Affolter led the charge with two threes, tallying six points. Defensively, Iowa held Minnesota to just 25 percent shooting and forced six turnovers.

Iowa maintained its rhythm in the second quarter, adding 14 points. The Hawkeyes grabbed 10 rebounds, with Affolter pulling down five of her own. In the paint, Stuelke and senior Addison O’Grady dominated each scoring four points. Iowa went into the locker room with a 32-21 lead.

In the third quarter, Minnesota fought back, outscoring the Hawkeyes, 16-11. Olsen led Iowa with five points in the period, and Affolter was again dominant on the boards, grabbing five rebounds. The Gophers downed two free throws in the final minute to narrow Iowa’s lead to 43-37 going into the final quarter.

Minnesota went on a run to tie the game for the first time with 4:33 left to play. However, the Hawkeyes responded with a decisive 13-3 run to regain their lead, never allowing the Gophers to take control. Led by Hannah Stuelke, who scored nine points in the final 10 minutes, Iowa outscored Minnesota, 25-23 in the fourth quarter to secure the victory.