After Iowa women’s basketball (18-2, 9-0 Big Ten) secured two more impressive wins over top-15 opponents last week, the Hawkeyes have earned the praise of the United States Women’s Basketball Writers Association this week, as it was named National Team of the Week.
Over the past week, Iowa beat then-No. 13 Maryland in overtime, 85-78, and followed up with a dominant 91-70 victory over then-No. 11 Ohio State. Thanks to its wins over the Terps and Buckeyes, Iowa has climbed to a season-high No. 8 ranking in both the AP Women’s College Basketball Top 25 and USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
Sophomore center Ava Heiden led Iowa against the Terrapins with 20 points on 9-for-13 shooting, while senior forward Hannah Stuelke collected a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Freshman guard Addie Deal proceeded to notch a new career-high 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting against the Buckeyes, while Stuelke also added her sixth double-double of the campaign with 18 points and 15 rebounds.
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Heiden’s 38 combined points in both games led her to receive Big Ten Player of the Week honors this week, a distinction Stuelke won the previous week. Meanwhile, Deal’s continued ascension in the Hawkeyes’ offense secured her a second straight Big Ten Freshman of the Week accolade.
Iowa will face stiff competition this week as it takes its undefeated conference record and eight-game winning streak on the road to sunny Southern California. On the two-game West Coast road trip, they will face USC (11-9, 3-6 Big Ten) on Thursday night, followed by the short trip to Westwood for a colossal matchup against No. 2 UCLA (19-1, 9-0 Big Ten) on Sunday.
Thursday night’s contest against the Trojans from the Galen Center in downtown Los Angeles is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. and will be streamed exclusively on Peacock.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa women’s basketball named USBWA National Team of the Week
