Three Reasons Iowa Nearly Lost To Winless Northwestern

Coming in with a stellar 12-2 (3-0) record, the last thing the Iowa Hawkeyes wanted to do was slip up to a 6-8 (0-3) Northwestern squad.

It was far from pretty, but head coach Jan Jensen was able to secure yet another road victory for the Hawkeyes. They kept the Wildcats winless in B1G play as they came out on top, 67-58.

Things weren't looking good for Iowa at the end of the first half as they were on the wrong end of a 7-0 run. Thankfully for the Hawkeyes, Taylor McCabe secured a huge four-point play that helped turn the tide.

Ultimately, Iowa won by nine points in a game that shouldn't have been nearly as close as it was. This was a huge wake up call for this Hawkeyes team, one that hasn't been tested against a sub-par opponent like this all season.

1. This Team Has A Free Throw Problem

Got it done. pic.twitter.com/GSja0q9RCL
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) January 6, 2026

While it's supposed to be one of the fundamentals of the game and is something no player should struggle with time and time again, the Iowa Hawkeyes simply cannot make their free throws.

Jensen's squad finished 20-29 for a staggering 69% from the charity stripe. Leaving nine points on the table against a team that is three games under .500 is simply unacceptable. Chit-Chat Wright was nearly perfect, 7-8, but that doesn't make up for someone like Hannah Stuelke who made just four of her eight attempts.

2. Turnovers Continue To Haunt Iowa

Iowa hasn't forgotten about their dreadful performance against UConn, and somehow they were just as sloppy against the Wildcats. In the end, the Hawkeyes turned the ball over 20 times.

In the end, nearly 35% of Northwestern's points came off of Iowa's turnovers. This is something that has hurt the Hawkeyes time and time again, and it needs to change, fast. There's no world where Jensen can justify turning the ball over 20 times against a team like Northwestern.

3. Inconsistency Strikes Yet Again

Opeeeeee 🤭@_taylormccabe x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/wSlDTi8e8T
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) January 6, 2026

While it's great to see anyone be able to get hot at any given moment, it's also frustrating that Iowa can't necessarily rely on the same players every game.

Stuelke shot just 2-11 from the field, and that's not even including her 50% effort from the free throw line. Seven of Wright's 12 points came from free throws as even she was just 2-6 from the field. If that isn't enough, McCabe finished 2-7 from behind the arc as once again, all she attempted was three pointers.

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