The Iowa Hawkeye women’s basketball team closed out its regular season at home Saturday, with a 75-62 victory over the Indiana Hoosiers. It was the seventh consecutive win for the Hawkeyes and it ended an eight-game winning streak for Indiana (16-13, 9-7).

According to HawkeyeSports.com, Iowa made 9 of 13 field goals in the first quarter (69 percent) with 10 paint points, Indiana made 2 of 13 (15.4 percent) with zero points in the paint.  Hawkeye junior Megan Gustafson scored the first eight points for Iowa, which used a 10-0 run to grab a 14-5 lead. Gustafson registered her 26th double-double of the season (and 53rd of her career) with 36 points and 15 rebounds. She had 18 points and 10 rebounds by halftime.

Gustafson made 15 of 21 field goals, lifting her season field goal percentage to 66.7. She also averages 12.8 rebounds per game. Iowa’s 6-foot-3 All-America candidate received plenty of support. Sophomore Makenzie Meyer scored 13 points with two 3-pointers, senior Chase Coley added 12 points, six rebounds, and five assists, and junior Hannah Stewart scored 10 points with five rebounds in 21 minutes.

Iowa’s defense limited Indiana senior Tyra Buss to 12 points in 40 minutes. In her previous two games — wins over Nebraska and Minnesota — Buss averaged 36.5 points, shooting 52 percent from the field and 94 percent from the line. On Saturday, she was 4 of 15 from the field and 1 of 2 from the line with three 3-point field goals.

The victory over Indiana capped a 7-0 month of February for the Hawkeyes, who defeated Michigan State, Minnesota, Penn State, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Rutgers, and now Indiana.

Up next: The Hawkeyes join the other 13 league schools at the Big Ten Tournament from Feb. 28-March 4 in Indianapolis.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Jevon Carter needed one assist to make history.
It turned out to be just one of his milestones on Saturday. Carter scored 24 points as No. 21 West Virginia pulled away for an 85-70 victory over Iowa State.

With 15:59 left in the first half, Carter picked up his first assist of the game, setting up a 3-pointer by Esa Ahmad to become the first major-conference player in NCAA history to record more than 1,500 points, 500 rebounds, 500 assists and 300 steals in a career. With 6:42 left in the second half, Carter reached another big number, surpassing 1,600 career points, becoming only the 14th player to do so in West Virginia program history.

West Virginia (21-8, 10-6 Big 12) was held in check early by the short-handed Cyclones. Iowa State played only five starters and two reserves and led the Mountaineers by as much as four with 11 minutes left in the first half.

WVU clawed back to tie the game at 28 with 3:39 left, and then closed with an 11-2 run to take a 39-30 halftime lead. The Mountaineers opened the second half with an 8-2 run, and the Cyclones (13-15, 4-12) never recovered. West Virginia out-rebounded Iowa State 47-27.

Ahmad had 18 points and 11 rebounds for his second career double-double. Sagaba Konate added 14 points along with six blocks, and Daxter Miles scored 14 points.
Lindell Wigginton led Iowa State with a game-high 29 points. Terrence Lewis added 12 points and Cameron Lard grabbed 10 rebounds.

Iowa State remains winless on the road in the Big 12 with one opportunity remaining, at Oklahoma on Mar. 2. The Cyclones will get Donovon Jackson back for their home game against Oklahoma State on Tuesday. Jackson missed Saturday’s game to attend his father’s funeral. Iowa State had only seven players available. Nick Weiler-Babb and Solomon Young were out with knee injuries. The Cyclones have played only 10 of their 28 games with all players available.

Iowa State plays its final home game against Oklahoma State on Tuesday.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Derrik Smits scored a career-best 22 points and grabbed six rebounds and Valparaiso closed out the regular season with a 69-64 win over Drake on Saturday.

Smits was 10 of 14 from the field for the Crusaders (15-16, 6-12 Missouri Valley Conference), who finish last in conference and will not see tournament play. Markus Golder added 13 points and nine rebounds and Tevonn Walker had 11 points and nine rebounds.

Valparaiso led 28-14 with 6:10 to go in the first half but Drake finished on a 16-2 run to tie it up at 30-30 at the break. Smits scored eight points as part of a 23-14 run to open the second half and Golder capped it with a dunk, lifting the Crusaders to a 53-44 lead with 10:02 to play. Drake cut it to 63-61 with 29 seconds remaining but could not get closer.

Reed Timmer scored 28 points for the Bulldogs (16-15, 10-8) who finish tied for third along with Illinois State, securing a place in the conference tournament.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Ariel Atkins scored 20 points, Lashann Higgs had 14 and No. 6 Texas held off Iowa State 72-59 on Saturday for its eighth win in nine games. Brooke McCarty had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Longhorns (23-5, 14-3 Big 12), who bounced back nicely from a loss to No. 3 Baylor that clinched the league title for the Lady Bears. The Longhorns outrebounded the Cyclones 44-35 and shared the ball like they have for most of the season.

Texas entered the game fifth in the nation in rebounding margin and with four starters averaging at least 10 points a game. Iowa State kept it close at times, even though Texas opened the second quarter with a 10-0 run to go ahead 31-17. The Cyclones (12-16, 6-11) closed to 52-45 when Adriana Camber beat the third-quarter buzzer with a layup, but Atkins hit a 3 that pushed the lead back to 10. McCarty’s 3 with 2:23 left made it 67-57, ending the Cyclones’ faint hopes for a comeback.

Bridget Carleton had 23 points for Iowa State in its home finale. The Cyclones shot just 4 of 22 on 3s. The Cyclones are almost finished with a rare losing season. But they should be better in 2018-19, with just one senior in the starting lineup and five-star point guard Ashley Joens set to join the program next fall.

Iowa State travels to face the Kansas Jayhawks, Tuesday.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Klint Carlson scored 16 points and Northern Iowa beat Missouri State 71-56 on Saturday. UNI, ranked seventh in the nation in scoring defense at 63.1 points per game, held Missouri State to 36.5 percent shooting. Hunter Rhodes added 13 points and Wyatt Lohaus 11 for Northern Iowa (15-15, 7-11 Missouri Valley Conference). Carlson and Rhodes were among four UNI seniors honored before the game. The seniors, who have won 99 games, have been a part of two NCAA Tournament teams and a pair of MVC tournament championships.

UNI will be a higher seed at the MVC tournament and thus play its first opening-round game since 2003. Jarred Dixon led Missouri State (17-14, 7-11), the preseason MVC favorite, with 14 points and Jarrid Rhodes and Alize Johnson each scored 11. Obediah Church grabbed 13 of Missouri State’s 30 rebounds. The Bears have lost nine of their last 11 games.

The poor weather conditions Saturday have forced the postponement of a number of Substate Final Boys Basketball games Saturday.

CLASS 1A

Substate 1 Final – POSTPONED

George-Little Rock vs. South O’Brien, Paullina at MOC-Floyd Valley, now 2/26

Substate 2 Final – POSTPONED, SITE CHANGE

Don Bosco, Gilbertville vs. West Fork, Sheffield, now 2/26 in Clear Lake

Substate 7 Final – POSTPONED

Bedford vs. St. Albert, Council Bluffs at Shenandoah, now 2/26

Substate 8 Final – POSTPONED

IKM-Manning vs. St. Mary’s, Remsen at Denison, now 2/26

CLASS 2A

Substate 1 Final – POSTPONED, SITE TBD

Kuemper Catholic, Carroll vs. Western Christian, Hull at LeMars, now 2/26 at site to be determined

Substate 2 Final – POSTPONED

Sheldon vs. Alta-Aurelia at Spirit Lake, now 2/26

Substate 3 Final – POSTPONED

Garner-Hayfield-Ventura vs. Aplington-Parkersburg at Charles City, now 2/26

Substate 8 Final – POSTPONED

Woodward-Granger vs. Treynor at Harlan, now 2/26