Inside The Hawkeyes

Three Takeaways from Iowa's Rivalry Loss to Iowa State

While things could've been much worse, the Iowa Hawkeyes fell to Iowa State by five points.
Jordon Lawrenz|
Iowa Hawkeyes guard Taylor Stremlow (1) looks for pass around Iowa Hawkeyes guard Taylor McCabe (2) during the first quarter in the NCAA women’s basketball Cy-Hawk Series on Dec. 10, 2025, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.
Iowa Hawkeyes guard Taylor Stremlow (1) looks for pass around Iowa Hawkeyes guard Taylor McCabe (2) during the first quarter in the NCAA women’s basketball Cy-Hawk Series on Dec. 10, 2025, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Iowa Hawkeyes

The Iowa Hawkeyes first true road test of the season went to Iowa State. In the latest edition of the Cy-Hawk rivalry, the Cyclones prevailed, 74-69.

Plenty of things stood out in the contest, but most importantly it was the fight of the Hawkeyes. Head coach Jan Jensen has these girls on a path to success. This early season loss won't sit well with them, but at 9-1 overall, it's fuel to not let it happen again. With No. 1 UConn looming, a loss was bound to happen eventually.

1. Ava Heiden Failed To Carry Her Weight

Sadly for Iowa, this just wasn't a good game for Heiden. The 6'4'' sophomore had a height advantage on Iowa State's Audi Crooks, but not even that was enough to stop one of the nation's most prolific scorers.

In the end, Crooks notched her third straight 30+ point game. Everyone knew Heiden vs. Crooks was going to be the matchup to watch, and early foul trouble certainly didn't help Heiden's case. She scored just eight points, tied for her lowest of the season as Jensen was only able to keep her on the floor for 16 minutes.

2. Chit-Chat Is Back!

Thankfully for Iowa, Chit-Chat Wright stepped up. Without Heiden leading the charge, Wright proved she was more than ready to be back on the floor. Iowa has been dealing with a few injuries lately, but Wright is back to 100% and she proved that in Ames.

The 5'4'' sophomore laid the foundation for what the Hawkeyes offense is supposed to be as she finished with a career high 21 points. Wright shot 50% from the field as she was 7/14 overall and 4/9 from three point range. Wright, who played just eight minutes against Rutgers, was tied for a team high 37 minutes.

3. Iowa Is Still A Very Good Team

Iowa's five point loss could've been much, much worse. The 35-35 halftime score didn't matter as the Cyclones came out with a vengeance in the third quarter. With just 43 seconds left in the third, they led by 17 points. That was their largest lead of the night, but from there Iowa went on a 26-12 run.

Jensen knows losing isn't acceptable, but a game like this has plenty of teachable moments. Iowa showed their heart and played until the final buzzer which is all they can ask. They'd rather lose this game now than suffer heartbreak come tournament time, so this will be a key game to look back on in a few months time.

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Jordon Lawrenz
JORDON LAWRENZ

Jordon Lawrenz serves as the Eastern United States College Recruiting beat writer On SI. Jordon is an accomplished writer covering the NFL, MLB, and college football/basketball. He has contributed to PFSN’s and Heavy’s NFL coverage. Having graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay with a Sports Communication and Journalism degree, Jordon fully embraced the sports writing lifestyle upon his relocation to Florida.

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