Indiana State raced out to a 17 point halftime advantage and beat UNI 77-66 in Cedar Falls. It snapped the Panthers four-game winning streak.

That’s Panther coach Ben Jacobson, who says the hill was too steep to climb against a team as good as Indiana State.

The Panthers shot 38 percent, including 1-of-15 from three point range in falling to 1-3 in the Valley and 7-8 overall.

Drake’s unbeaten start in Missouri Valley Conference play ended in lopsided fashion in Nashville. Belmont jumped out to a 13-point halftime lead and crushed the Bulldogs 87-65.

That’s Drake coach Darian DeVries. Belmont center Malik Dia had 32 points, including five-of-eight from three point range.

The Bruins connected on 57 percent for the game, including 12-of-22 from three point range.

Drake is now 3-1 in the Valley and hosts an Indiana State team on Wednesday night that is 4-0 in the Valley.

Fran McCaffery became Iowa’s all-time leader in Big Ten wins after Saturday’s 86-77 win over Rutgers. It was McCaffery’s 127th conference victory.

McCaffery says the milestone does make him think the journey at Iowa that began in 2010.

The Hawkeyes are 1-3 in the Big Ten and return to action Friday at home against Nebraska.

NORMAN, Okla. – Iowa State (11-3, 0-1 Big 12) dropped Saturday’s Big 12 opener at No. 11 Oklahoma (13-1, 1-0 Big 12), falling to the Sooners by a score of 71-63.

The Cyclones trailed for the majority of the contest, holding just a one point lead twice late in the second half for a total of 21 seconds of game time.

Three Cyclones finished in double figures on the evening, as Robert Jones, Milan Momcilovic and Hason Ward each had 12-point outings. Ward was 6-7 from the field and was tied for the team-lead in rebounds with seven in just 18 minutes of action as he continues to be integrated back into the lineup following his foot injury.

Oklahoma really worked to take away Iowa State’s dynamic backcourt – each of which has a triple-double on the season – holding both Tamin Lipsey and Keshon Gilbert under a combined 10 points and forcing both to foul out of the contest.

The Sooners had four score in double figures, led by Javian McCollum with 15. McCollum and the Sooners shot 40 percent from deep compared to Iowa State’s 18.8, making 10 3-balls on the day.

What’s Next

The Cyclones will return to the confines of Hilton Coliseum on Tuesday, Jan. 9, to welcome the top-5 Houston Cougars to Ames. Tuesday night’s contest will be broadcast on ESPN2 and is set to tip off at 6 p.m.

DES MOINES, Iowa – An early scoring burst propelled the Drake women’s basketball team to its fourth straight victory and best conference start in five years.

Katie Dinnebier’s 17-point, 11-assist double-double led five double-figure scorers as the Bulldogs beat Evansville 78-68 at the Knapp Center on Saturday afternoon – their 17^th-straight victory over the Aces.

Drake improved to 10-4 overall and 3-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference, the team’s best start in conference play since winning its first seven MVC games in the 2018-19 season. The Bulldogs remain tied for first with Murray State, Belmont and Missouri State. All 10 victories this season have been by double-figure margins.

The Bulldogs shot better than 50 percent for most of the game before finishing at 48.4. Drake outrebounded the Aces 42-24 and finished with 11 steals and assists on 21 of 31 field goals.

Drake will hit the road next weekend, playing at Valparaiso on Friday night (6 p.m.) and UIC on Sunday (1 p.m.).

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The University of Iowa women’s wrestling team brought home the 2024 NWCA National Duals title over top-seeded North Central College (NCC) Saturday afternoon in the UNI-Dome.

In the championship dual, second-seeded Iowa battled NCC until the very end, ultimately winning 21-20. Sterling Dias started the dual off with a 11-0 technical fall over third-ranked Maddie Avila at 101. At 109, Ava Bayless defeated third-ranked Jaslynn Gallegos via 5-5 decision. Coming into the 155 bout, the Hawkeyes trailed the Cardinals, 12-16, after five losses in the middle weights. Top-ranked Marlynne Deede put the Hawkeyes back in fron, earning a pin over fourth-ranked London Houston in 1:38. Kylie Welker followed, racking up a 11-3 decision over Yelena Makoyed at 170. Jaycee Foeller secured a passivity point in her 6-1 decision loss against Traeh Haynes, giving the team a point to secure the win over NCC.

In the semifinals, the Hawkeyes defeated three-seeded King University, 31-8, notching six ranked wins. Dias started the morning at 101 with a pin over sixth-ranked Mia Zuniga in 4:04. Bayless followed at 109 with a hard fought 2-0 decision over third-ranked Danielle Garcia. At 116, Gonzalez broke through with a decision win over fifth-ranked Melanie Mendoza, 8-0. Taylor secured the team’s third decision over third-ranked Montana Delawder, 5-0, at 123. At 143, Larramendy battled for six minutes and came out on top against Yasmine Oliveira, via a 7-0 decision. Welker and Foeller finished the dual in style at 170 and 191. Welker notched a 10-0 tech. fall over second-ranked Tiffani Baublitz, and Foeller finished with a pin over sixth-ranked Alexa Garcia in 5:49.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH CLARISSA CHUN  

“This is what we want for women’s wrestling. It was a very competitive match and to have two have two top programs battling is what is good for the sport. Without Marlynne’s pin or Jaycee’s passivity point who knows what could have happened. Any team can win on any given day and today was our day.”

UP NEXT 

The Hawkeyes are set to host their second dual in Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday, January 21st. The dual will be streamed on B1G+ (subscription required).

RESULTS

#2 Iowa 31, #3 King 8 

101 – #2 Sterling Dias fall (I) #6 Mia Zuniga (K), 4:04

109 – #2 Ava Bayless (I) dec. #3 Danielle Garcia (K), 2-0

116 – #3 Brianna Gonzalez dec. (I) #5 Melanie Mendoza (K), 8-0

123 – #2 Felicity Taylor (I) dec. #3 Montana Delawder (K), 5-0

130 –#3 Victoria Baez-Dilone (K) tech. fall #10 Emily Frost (I), 10-0

136 –#4 Claire DiCugno (K) tech. fall Lilly Luft (I), 10-0

143 – #1 Reese Larramendy (I) dec. Yasmine Oliveira (K), 7-0

155 – #1 Marlynne Deede (I) forfeit Unknown (K)

170 – #1 Kylie Welker (I) tech. fall #2 Tiffani Baublitz (K), 10-0

191 – Jaycee Foeller (I) fall #6 Alexa Garcia (K), 5:49

#2 Iowa 21, #1 North Central 20   

101 – #2 Sterling Dias (I) tech. fall #3 Maddie Avila (N), 11-0

109 – #2 Ava Bayless dec. (I) Jaslynn Gallegos (N), 5-5

116 – #2 Sydney Petzinger (N) dec. #3 Brianna Gonzalez (I), 8-4

123 – #1 Amani Jones (N) dec. #2 Felicity Taylor (I), 12-3

130 – #6 Salome Walker (N) dec. #10 Emily Frost (I), 8-2

136 – #1 Yele Aycock (N) dec. Lilly Luft (I), 6-2

143 – #1 Reese Larramendy (I) Alara Boyd (N)

155 – #1 Marlynne Deede (I) fall #4 London Houston (N), 1:38

170 – #1 Kylie Welker (I) dec. Yelena Makoyed (N), 11-3

191 – Traeh Haynes (N) dec. Jaycee Foeller (I), 6-1

Girl’s Basketball

#15 Aplington-Parkersburg 39, Van Meter 30
Madrid 35, Colo-Nesco 22
ACGC 53, Exira-EHK 40
#14 Kuemper Catholic 62, East Sac County 35

Boy’s Basketball

Ar-We-Va 62, Woodbury Central 34
ACGC 65, Exira-EHK 62
Treynor 74, #9 Grand View Christian 60
#5 Kuemper Catholic 82, East Sac County 67