Iowa vs. Nebraska Takeaways: Hawkeyes Double-Double Machine

In a Top 20 showdown, the Iowa Hawkeyes came out on top. Having lost to their last two ranked opponents, this was a huge step in the right direction as they know their schedule is about to pick up.

Iowa improved to 12-2 (3-0) as they've now taken down the Cornhuskers, Rutgers, and Penn State in B1G play.

Nebraska falls to 12-2 (1-2) after tasting defeat for the second straight game. The final score, 86-76, makes it seem like this game was always in Iowa's hands, though that was far from the case.

1. Iowa's Dominant Second Half

Awww Shucks 🤷‍♀️ pic.twitter.com/dGl6pS2u8v
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) January 1, 2026

It was all Cornhuskers early as they led with scores like 12-2 and 17-9 in the first quarter. Late in the frist half, they recliaimed a 43-40 lead but weren't able to hold on.

According to ESPN Analytics, Iowa had the higher win probability throughout the entire second half. Even though the Cornhuskers got off to a strong start, which included opening the game on an 8-0 run, they weren't able to hang with the Hawkeyes for a full 40 minutes.

2. Double-Double Machine

Had herself a day 👏

Hannah Stuelke recorded her 14th career double-double:
21 PTS | 10 REB | 4 AST | 1 BLK pic.twitter.com/qNxT14NkJG
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) January 1, 2026

For the 14th time in her career, senior forward Hannah Stuelke put up a double-double. It's the third time she's done so this season, though she's come extremely close on a few other occasions.

Seeing Stuelke finish with 21 points and 10 rebounds against a Top 20 team is a great sign for this Hawkeyes squad. Their depth has never been questioned, it's just a matter of who's going to get the hot hand on any given night.

Stuelke shot 7-11 from the field and drilled all seven of her free throws. She was extremely close to fouling out for the second time in her last five games, but that ended up not being a factor. At the end of the day, this team is at it's most efficient when Stuelke is doing her thing.

3. Uncharacteristically Quiet Night For Iowa's Bench

STREM-DAWGGG 🐶@StremlowTaylor x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/XqADqybKuL
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) January 1, 2026

Despite seeing a player like Journey Houston on the court for 14 minutes, Iowa's bench contributed just six points. Coming off a game against the Nittany Lions where Houston and Addie Deal both had double digits, it's extremely odd to see head coach Jan Jensen's bench so uninvolved.

That said, Kylie Feuerbach's injury vs. UConn likely has something to do with it. Taylor Stremlow was always a huge contributor off the bench, but now she's been inserted back into the starting lineup. It's not the end of the world seeing Iowa's bench only add six points, it's just not something this team has been used to seeing this season.

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