OMAHA, Neb. – The Drake women’s basketball team went on the road on Monday night to take on a talented Creighton Bluejays squad. The Bulldogs fought hard but could not keep pace with Creighton in the second half, falling 80-72.

Anna Miller, who was named MVC Player of the Week just a few hours prior to tip, scored the game’s first basket after Drake won the opening jump. Creighton leapt in front shortly after as Drake went scoreless over the next four minutes. Ava Hawthorne eventually snapped that cold streak with a corner three, tying the score at 7-7. Miller then glassed one in for two to give the Dogs a marginal lead at the first media break.

The two teams were in lockstep down the stretch of the first period with the difference never rising above three points, Guard Lauren Jensen, the Bluejays’ leading scorer in their season debut, snagged the lead back in Creighton’s favor just before the horn. The Bluejays led 19-17 after one.

The back-and-forth action persisted as the second quarter got underway. Abbie Aalsma got organized quickly to bury a three from the wing, giving Drake a 1-point lead. Creighton was able to rebound and draw back even as the score was all square at 25 apiece midway through the period.

The Bluejays built their biggest lead of the first half at 38-31 with just under a minute to play in the half. Courtney Becker pulled down an offensive rebound on Drake’s ensuing trip, but Creighton answered right back with another Jensen deuce to make 40-33 at the half.

The Creighton lead ballooned into double figures shortly after the second half started. Jensen worked her way to the top of the key and cashed in on a high-arching triple to make it 43-33, Creighton. Drake responded with four straight points of their own on layups from Becker and Miller. Aalsma then hit again from deep, after collecting an Anna Miller dish off an offensive rebound, to get back within five.

Jensen almost single-handedly maintained the Bluejays’ separation as the third quarter progressed. The Minnesota native had 10 points in the period to eclipse the 20-point mark for the second game in a row. She eventually finished with 32. Anna Miller had other ideas with seven points of her own in the stanza as Creighton led 57-52 with 10 minutes to play.

The Bluejays dialed up a wide-open trey for Jensen on the very first play of the fourth quarter, adding to her game high scoring output. Kiani Lockett then pulled up from the elbow to extend CU’s lead back to double digits. Becker and Miller went back-to-back for five quick ones to cut right back into their deficit and force Creighton coach Jim Flanery to burn a timeout.

Drake mounted their finale charge at about the 2-minute mark of the fourth quarter. Miller blocked her fifth shot of the night, leading to a driving two by Dinnebier. That spurt of energy cut the Drake deficit to six points. The Dogs’ final hopes were nixed with just over 20 seconds remaining as Jensen dished to Lockett to make it a 9-point margin.

The Bulldogs used their remaining fouls to give to extend the game, but Creighton’s lead was too steep as the Jays won their third straight game over Drake, 80-72.

“I definitely think there are areas for growth, and we have to [grow as players] a little bit faster,” Suzie Glazer Burt Head Coach Allison Pohlman said. “We got some great shots in the end-of-game situations and we’re normally a team that knocks those down. We’re looking forward to getting back to work and hammering those things out.”

Anna Miller stuffed the stat sheet again for Drake with another double-double of 18 points and 14 rebounds. She also blocked five shots, picked up one steal, and dished out three assists. Courtney Becker led the Bulldogs in scoring with 21 points, marking her career best. She also corralled eight boards and had four distributions.

Elsewhere, Katie Dinnebier netted 15 points as Drake’s final double-digit scorer and was tied by Ava Hawthorne with a team-high two steals. Abbie Aalsma added eight points and tied her career high with six rebounds.

Drake will return home for their next contest as in-state rival Iowa heads to Des Moines on Sunday, Nov. 17. The Bulldogs and Hawkeyes are expecting a full house in the Knapp Center as Drake will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Bulldog women’s basketball.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa women’s soccer team enters the NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 regional seed. Iowa (13-2-4) will host Missouri State (13-4-3) in the First Round at 6 p.m. (CT) on Friday, Nov. 15, at the Iowa Soccer Complex. The No. 3 seed is the highest seed in program history.

All first-round matches will be streamed live on ESPN+ (subscription required).

Friday will be the second time the Hawkeyes have hosted an NCAA Tournament match. Iowa played host to Bucknell last year where they won, 2-0, in overtime. Iowa set a program home attendance record with 2,639 spectators in attendance.

The Hawkeyes earned a No. 3 seed after finishing third-place in the Big Ten regular season. Iowa has four ranked victories on their resume which is a program record. The Hawkeyes head into the post season two wins shy of tying their program record for most victories in a season.

10 Big Ten teams were selected to be a part of the NCAA Tournament field, a conference record. Nine of the ten Big Ten teams earned top six seeds in their respective quadrants.

NCAA Tournament Second Round play takes place on Nov. 22, with Sweet 16 action scheduled for Nov. 24. Those games will take place at eight non-predetermined campus sites.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa senior linebacker Jay Higgins has been recognized as one of nine semifinalists for the 2024 Lott IMPACT Trophy, it was announced Monday.

The Lott IMPACT Trophy is awarded annually to the nation’s top defensive player, who best exemplifies the characteristics of Ronnie Lott by making an IMPACT on and off the field. IMPACT is an acronym for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.

Higgins is also a semifinalist for the Butkus and Lombardi awards. He was named a midseason All-American last month by the Associated Press, Sporting News, CBS and The Athletic.

Higgins (6-foot-2, 232 pounds) is second in the Big Ten in tackles (10th nationally), making 98 tackles (9.8 per game). He led the team in tackles in Iowa’s first nine games of 2024, including a season-high 14 tackles against Ohio State, Washington and Michigan State. The native of Indianapolis has five double-digit tackle games this season and 16 in his career. His 315 career tackles are tied for 17th in program history. Higgins also has three interceptions and two forced fumbles.

Higgins is the only player in the nation with 90+ tackles and three interceptions. His three picks are tied for the second most among linebackers from a Power 4 conference.

Off the field, Higgins has volunteered his time at Safe Haven Animal Shelter, Community Crisis Services and Food Bank, Special Olympics, Dream City and Student Athlete Academic Services.

He was voted upon by the local media as the 2023 Duke Slater Golden Gavel honoree, which goes to the Iowa football player who not only is most cooperative with local media but exhibits himself with professional integrity in all interactions. He is a two-time Hayden Fry Extra Heartbeat Award honoree, which is presented to a team member who shows exemplary leadership and dedication throughout the year as well as the offseason. Higgins has been on the team’s Player Council each of the last three years, a select group a players voted upon by teammates who assist in formulating policies and being involved in team decision-making throughout the year.

Former Hawkeye linebacker Josey Jewell won the Lott IMPACT Trophy in 2017, while teammate Cooper DeJean was a semifinalist for the award in 2023.

Finalists for the award will be announced in December. The finalists will be invited to attend the annual Lott IMPACT Trophy award show on Dec. 9, 2024, in Las Vegas.

Iowa (6-4, 4-3) returns to action Saturday, Nov. 23 at Maryland. Kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. (CT) in College Park, Maryland. The game will be televised on BTN and broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network.

Jay Higgins | 2024 Honors
Dick Butkus Award Semifinalist
Lombardi Award Semifinalist
Lott IMPACT Trophy Semifinalist
AP, CBS Sports, Sporting News, The Athletic Midseason All-America
Chuck Bednarik Award midseason Watch List
Preseason National Defensive Player of the Year by Phil Steele
Preseason first-team Walter Camp All-American
Preseason first-team All-America by AP, ESPN, CBS Sports
Preseason first-team All-America by Phil Steele, Athlon Sports
Preseason first-team All-Big Ten by Phil Steele, Athlon Sports
Preseason Big Ten Honors List
Bronko Nagurski Trophy preseason Watch List
Lombardi Award midseason Watch List
Wuerffel Trophy preseason Watch List
Senior Bowl preseason Watch List
UI October Male Athlete of the Month

The Exira-EHK Volleyball Team has much to be proud of when looking back at their 2024 season. The Spartans captured the program’s best record since 2012, finishing the season with a 15-6 record. For the first time in recent memory, they also hosted a regional postseason and advanced past the first round with a 3-0 win over CAM. They nearly went further in the postseason after erasing a 2-0 deficit to come up just short in the quarterfinal to Fremont-Mills. Exira-EHK accomplished nearly every goal they set out to accomplish, and Head Coach Derek Reischauer was extremely proud of what they did and how they did it.

From the start, winning a regular season conference championship was a goal the Spartans wanted to accomplish. On October 10th, senior night nonetheless, Exira-EHK would do just that defeating West Harrison/Whiting 3-0. In a season full of special moments, Reischauer said this one topped the list.

A program-building season usually comes with superb play from young players, and the Spartans got just that. The offense was led by junior Jaelynn Petersen and sophomore Taryn Petersen. Jaelynn finished the season leading the team with 214 kills, while Taryn finished not far behind with 169 while leading the team with 161 digs. Sophomore Brooklyn Flathers compiled 232 assists to lead the team. You also can’t forget about senior Mayne Jorgensen who finished second on the team in digs. Reischauer said that every player found a way to improve throughout the season and contributed to the program’s success.

Another key to a successful season is finding ways to improve team play throughout the season. One big improvement for the Spartans was their passing. Passing, especially the first pass, is a big key in setting up an attack and allows a team to consider different attack options. Reischauer knows how important it is and was pleased with how his team’s passing improved throughout the season.

Of course, no season is perfect and this young Exira-EHK team has room to grow. A big thing Reischauer wants to see improved heading into next season is the diversity of their attack.

The Exira-EHK Spartans Volleyball is a young team that has a bright future ahead of them. They could return nearly the entire roster, minus the lone senior, Jorgensen. It is a group that has a lot of potential and a group that will now have the benefit of experiencing success. Reischauer says he plans to make competing for conference championships and more the norm at Exira-EHK.

Curtis Jones had 20 points and Milan Momcilovic added 16 points as Iowa State beat Missouri-Kansas city 82-56 in Ames. Momcilovic finished four of seven from three point range.

That’s ISU coach T.J. Otzelberger. The Cyclones overcame a slow started and erupted for 48 second half points.

Jones came off the bench and connected of seven of 11 shots in nearly 29 minutes of action.

The Cyclones are 2-0.