McKenna Woliczko put Iowa on her back Thursday night, dropping 22 points to power the No. 10 Hawkeyes past Eastern Illinois 80-39. The freshman forward knocked down 4-of-6 from three, as Iowa women’s basketball improved to 2-0 on the NCAA's young 2026/27 season.
Iowa Turns On Before Halftime to Silence Eastern Illinois
After a sluggish first quarter, the Hawkeyes ripped off a 27-8 second-quarter run. That buried the Panthers before halftime, with Iowa’s defense forcing 10 turnovers in the frame alone.
And that suffocating pressure didn't let up until the final buzzer. Iowa finished the night with 16 steals, forcing 27 Eastern Illinois turnovers. Amari Whiting quarterbacked the offense with seven assists and six steals while Ava Heiden added 15 points on near-perfect 7-of-8 shooting.
Head coach Jan Jensen shared she was pleased with how her team came out in its second game of the season.
"I thought we were much more organized in our transition," she said. "Last game, we were really discombobulated. We had different people running different lanes and doing some things that we hadn’t done. I thought we ran the break more."
The win gave No. 10 Iowa a confidence boost ahead of Sunday’s trip to No. 2 UConn. That match should serve as a true early-season NCAA basketball litmus test for a roster still finding its footing.
