Nebraska Women’s Basketball Overcomes Iowa, ranked No. 2

What could have been a coronation turned into a rift.

At Pinnacle Bank Arena on Sunday, Nebraska (16-8, 8-5 Big Ten) defeated No. 2 Iowa (22-3, 11-2 Big Ten) 82-79. Since the Huskers defeated No. 5 Indiana on February 14, 2022, it is NU’s first victory against an AP top-five team.

After taking the lead early in the game, the Hawkeyes managed to maintain control for almost 39 minutes of play. Caitlin Clark had 31 points going into the fourth quarter, which was just eight points short of the NCAA women’s basketball lifetime scoring record.

But for the remainder of the game, Clark would not score a single point.

After a 5-0 run by Logan Nissley, Jaz Shelley’s three with 30.2 seconds remaining gave Nebraska a 78-77 lead. That was NU’s first advantage of the game.

The Hawkeyes shot just 1-of-7 in the last two minutes, but Shelley converted four free throws in the last 20 seconds to complete the upset.

Throughout the contest, Nebraska shot 42.5%, making 10-of-31 3-pointers. Iowa made 10 of 32 three-pointers, hitting 45.5% of their shots.

The game was decided in the fourth quarter, as Nebraska defeated Clark 27–10 and held him to 0 of 6 shooting.

With 23 points and 5 assists, Shelley took the lead for the Huskers. Alexis Markowski (15), Natalie Potts (14), and Nissley (15) were the other three players who scored in double digits. In addition, Markowski pulled down 11 rebounds to complete the double-double.

On Wednesday, Nebraska takes on Ohio State, ranked fifth.