Crisis averted (at least, for now): Iowa smokes Ohio State, 91-70

IOWA CITY — Adversity came early, and the Iowa Hawkeyes didn’t blink.

Taylor McCabe suffered an injury to her left knee — potentially a serious one — with only 23 seconds elapsed.

“She was in the back of our minds,” Kylie Feuerbach said.

What followed was an inspired response.

Addie Deal entered and scored a career-high 20 points, and 10th-ranked Iowa blasted No. 12 Ohio State, 91-70, in a Big Ten women’s basketball game before a crowd of 14,988 Sunday afternoon at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

“As soon as my number is called, I’m going to go out there and give it my all,” Deal said.

She wasn’t the only one.

The Hawkeyes (18-2 overall, 9-0 Big Ten) played their best game of the season and remained in a first-place tie with UCLA in the Big Ten standings as the race reached its midpoint.

“We had a tough situation so early,” Iowa Coach Jan Jensen said. “A team can handle that so many ways. You can get ruffled.”

Iowa was neither ruffled, nor rattled.

Down 8-2 early, the Hawkeyes sojourned upon a 22-6 run through the remainder of the first quarter, and it remained a no-contest the rest of the way.

Iowa led 48-32 at halftime, and its advantage grew as large as 23 points. After its late-fourth-quarter foibles at Maryland on Thursday, there was no drama to this one.

Consider this. From the time the Hawkeyes led 35-27 until it was 81-59, the longest run that Ohio State (18-3, 7-2) could muster was three points.

That’s right. The Buckeyes didn’t put together back-to-back baskets until the issue was long in doubt.

“We stayed locked in,” Feuerbach said. “We were ready to go.”

A freshman who will be making her return to southern California next week (Iowa is at USC on Thursday, at UCLA on Sunday), Deal averaged 5.2 points per game in her first 16 games.

In the last four, it’s been 12.0 ppg.

“I’m confident in my abilities,” Deal said. “I love the way we play, super unselfish.”

That’s reflected in the Hawkeyes’ 28 assists, nine by Feuerbach.

Hannah Stuelke and Ava Heiden scored 18 points apiece and combined for 17-of-24 shooting from the floor. Stuelke grabbed 15 rebounds, Heiden eight.

Chit-Chat Wright added 14 points.

McCabe’s injury was of the non-contact variety. She was carried off the floor, then returned to the bench briefly late in the first half, her knee wrapped in ice.

With the assumption that McCabe is out a significant amount of time (she was scheduled to undergo an MRI Sunday night), it probably means a rotation of eight players, maybe nine, going forward.

Jaloni Cambridge led Ohio State with 26 points; she was 6-of-9 from 3-point range.

Iowa 91, Ohio State 70

At Iowa City

OHIO STATE (70): Elsa Lemmila 3-7 0-1 6, Chance Gray 5-13 2-2 16, Kennedy Cambridge 2-9 4-6 9, Ava Watson 4-11 0-0 10, Jaloni Cambridge 9-19 2-2 26, Bryn Martin 0-2 0-0 0, T’yana Todd 0-5 0-0 0, Ella Hobbs 1-2 0-0 3, Dasha Biriuk 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-69 8-11 70.

IOWA (91): Hannah Stuelke 8-13 2-2 18, Ava Heiden 9-11 0-0 18, Taylor McCabe 0-0 0-0 0, Kylie Feuerbach 3-6 0-0 8, Chit-Chat Wright 5-8 0-0 14, Addie Deal 8-17 3-3 20, Taylor Stremlow 2-5 2-2 8, Layla Hays 1-2 0-2 2, Journey Houston 1-2 1-2 3, Teagan Mallegni 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 37-64 8-12 91.

Ohio State 14 18 19 19 — 70

Iowa 24 24 23 20 — 91

3-point goals: Ohio State 14-34 (Gray 4-9, K. Cambridge 1-4, Watson 2-5, J. Cambridge 6-9, Martin 0-1, Todd 0-4, Hobbs 1-1, Biriuk 0-1), Iowa 9-22 (Feuerbach 2-4, Wright 4-6, Deal 1-7, Stremlow 2-5). Team fouls: Ohio State 14, Iowa 10. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Ohio State 30 (J. Cambridge 10), Iowa 48 (Stuelke 15). Assists: Ohio State 12 (J. Cambridge 4), Iowa 28 (Feuerbach 9). Steals: Ohio State 9 (J. Cambridge 3), Iowa 8 (Heiden 4). Turnovers: Ohio State 11, Iowa 15.

Attendance: 14,988.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com