No. 14 Hawkeyes Pull Away from No. 20 Huskers in Second Half

After starting the season with historical scoring and 12 straight wins, Nebraska women's basketball came up against some tough opponents this week.

After suffering a loss for the first time on Monday at the hands of No. 17 USC, Nebraska went to Iowa City on Thursday and fell 86-76 to No. 14 Iowa. The Hawkeyes improve to 12-2 on the year and 3-0 in Big Ten Conference play, while the Huskers fall to 12-2 and 1-2 in the league.

Iowa guard Chit-Chat Wright shoots the ball against Nebraska guard Claire Johnson. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Iowa has won 12 of the last 14 meetings and leads the all-time series 26-17. The two teams will meet again in Lincoln on Feb. 16.

Nebraska could not have started much better, scoring the first eight points of the game and holding Iowa without a made shot until the 6:31 mark. The Big Red held a 10-point lead to that point, but the Hawkeyes cut the deficit back to one before a Britt Prince jumper in the final minute put the difference back to three points.

Prince continued her hot offensive output in the second quarter, scoring nine straight points for the Huskers at one point. But Nebraska couldn't extend the lead again, leading by just one point at halftime.

Out of the break, Iowa adjusted defensively to help more on Prince and ramp up the pressure on the guards. A 4-0 run over the first two minutes gave the Hawkeyes a lead. They would not trail the rest of the game.

Nebraska forward Jessica Petrie takes a shot over Iowa forward Hannah Stuelke. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The finishing blow for the Huskers came midway through the fourth quarter. After an Emily Fisher and-1 tied the game, the Huskers tore off on a 10-0 run. The Huskers made just one more shot before the end of the game.

Nebraska shot 50% for the game, including 6-of-20 on three-pointers. Iowa made 49.1% of their shots, making 7-of-20 from deep.

The statistical difference in scoring came at the free throw line. Iowa made 23-of-28 from the stripe, with Nebraska going 12-of-15.

The second half saw the Huskers struggle to handle the ball, with 11 of their 18 turnovers coming after halftime. Some of the turnovers were of the careless variety, leading to easy steals in the backcourt and points for the Hawkeyes.

Iowa center Ava Heiden attempts a layup in transition against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Prince led all scorers with 27 points, adding five rebounds, four steals, and two assists. Jessica Petrie and Eliza Maupin fought foul trouble to score 17 points and 12 points, respectively, with Maupin grabbing 11 rebounds to notch a double-double.

Nebraska returns home on Sunday to face Purdue. The game is set for a 2 p.m. CST tip. It will be televised by Nebraska Public Media and streamed on B1G+.

Box score

Have a question or comment for Kaleb? Send an email to kalebhenry.huskermax@gmail.com.

Nebraska Women's Basketball 2025-26 Schedule

Oct. 24 Nebraska 104, Mount Marty 40 (Exhibition)
Nov. 3 Nebraska 103, Northwestern State 46
Nov. 8 Nebraska 80, Samford 46
Nov. 12 Nebraska 84, Creighton 50
Nov. 16 Nebraska 82, North Dakota State 70 (Sanford Pentagon)
Nov. 19 Nebraska 103, Oral Roberts 58
Nov. 24 Nebraska 80, Purdue Fort Wayne 57 (Emerald Coast Classic)
Nov. 25 Nebraska 91, Virginia 82 (Emerald Coast Classic)
Dec. 3 Nebraska 92, Bradley 53
Dec. 6 Nebraska 101, Penn State 83
Dec. 9 Nebraska 87 vs. Omaha 35
Dec. 14 Nebraska 85, Illinois State 44
Dec. 21 Nebraska 87, Cal Baptist 56
Dec. 29 74 USC, Nebraska 66
Jan. 1 Nebraska 86, Iowa 76
Jan. 4 vs. Purdue 2 p.m. NPM/B1G+
Jan. 8 vs. Indiana 7 p.m. B1G+
Jan. 11 vs. UCLA 6 p.m. BTN
Jan. 15 at Michigan State 6 p.m. BTN
Jan. 21 at Wisconsin 6:30 p.m. B1G+
Jan. 24 vs. Illinois 1 p.m. BTN
Jan. 28 vs. Northwestern 7 p.m. NPM/B1G+
Feb. 1 at Ohio State 5 p.m. BTN
Feb. 4 at Michigan 6 p.m. B1G+
Feb. 7 vs. Maryland 1 p.m. BTN
Feb. 12 at Minnesota 7 p.m. BTN
Feb. 16 vs. Iowa 11 a.m. FOX
Feb. 19 at Oregon 8 p.m. B1G+
Feb. 22 at Washington 2 p.m. BTN
Feb. 28 vs. Rutgers B1G+
March 4-8 Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis

Home games are bolded. All times central.

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