• Box Score: Nebraska 79, Iowa 73
• Photo Showcase: NU women's basketball, Jan. 26
• Video Below: See NU coach Connie Yori and players at the postgame press conference
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LINCOLN — Scrums seem to suit the No. 19 Nebraska women's basketball team. You don't win seven games shooting less than 40 percent unless grinding is part of your DNA.
The Huskers certainly got their slugfest Thursday night against budding rival Iowa.
NU held the Hawkeyes without a field goal for the final 12 minutes of the first half. In the second half, Iowa returned the favor for 11 minutes.
“It wasn't exactly the way you want it to look,” Nebraska coach Connie Yori said.
But the Huskers won ugly again — this time 60-53 — thanks to a handful of down-the-stretch plays from players other than sophomore Jordan Hooper, who starred most of the game and finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds.
Among the key moments: A layup and a later block by freshman Hailie Sample. A putback by freshman Emily Cady. A steal by junior Lindsey Moore.
The biggest play: A 3-pointer by senior Kaitlyn Burke with 1:37 left that extended Nebraska's lead to 57-51. Burke — who missed her other five shots of the game — caught a pass from Moore and quickly launched a jumper before the shot clock expired.
Not a bad way to hit your 100th career 3-pointer.
“I knew I needed to make that shot,” Burke said. “It felt good coming out of my hands.”
Said Moore: “Super excited. That was a huge play. KB shot that with so much confidence. We'd run the same play consecutive times, and they were cheating on her. It gave us momentum.”
It was one of the few times Nebraska (17-3 overall, 6-2 Big Ten) solved the Hawkeyes' zone defense. The Huskers weren't expecting a zone and their 32 percent shooting from the field looked like it.
But NU returned the favor, forcing 20 turnovers and 30 percent shooting. In the final 3:42 of the game, Iowa didn't make a shot, with Sample shadowing leading Hawkeye scorer Jaime Printy — who finished with 17 points — on every possession.
During UI's first-half drought, Nebraska went on a 20-3 run and forced 13 missed shots and nine turnovers. It punctuated the effort with a steal by freshman Brandi Jeffrey four seconds before halftime, which turned into a buzzer-beating jumper by Moore. NU led 30-17 at halftime.
“We didn't let our offensive woes impact our defense,” Yori said. “That's sometimes a really hard thing to do, especially for a young team.”
Said Iowa coach Lisa Bluder: “Nebraska played pretty good defense, but we missed some shots we can put down.”
The Hawkeyes (11-10 and 3-5) made those shots in the second half.
Printy, Samantha Logic and Kamille Wahlin combined to hit seven 3-pointers in the final 20 minutes. Bluder's zone defense neutralized Hooper — who only took five second-half shots — and flustered the rest of Nebraska. Iowa cut the lead to one point several times.
But the Huskers never let UI tie the game or take the lead, as 6-foot-5 Hawkeye center Morgan Johnson fouled out, leaving a big rebounding hole. Nebraska filled the void with late boards off Iowa misses.
A lively crowd of 5,214 at the Devaney Center mostly stood for the last five minutes, one of two home games decided by fewer than 10 points this year. The style stood in sharp contrast to NU's 77-72 win at Iowa. But the result was the same.
“We were able to sweep a team that has a lot more experience,” Yori said.
Contact the writer:
402-202-9766, sam.mckewon@owh.com
twitter.com/swmckewonOWH
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• Video: NU coach Connie Yori and players at the postgame press conference:
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