9:10 pm CT
3Q, 4:32 left: Illinois 50, Iowa 47
Illinois is red-hot to start the second half (6-for-7), and Iowa isn’t far behind (6-for-9). The Hawkeyes are shooting 60% for the game.
Ava Heiden has eight points in the third quarter for Iowa, and 16 in the game.
8:44 pm CT
Halftime: Iowa 35, Illinois 35
Illinois is giving the Hawkeyes all they can handle through 20 minutes. Cearah Parchment hit a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer to tie the score. She has a game-high 13 points.
Iowa sophomore star Ava Heiden picked up her second foul (both offensive fouls) with 2:07 left in the half. Something to monitor in the second half.
Hannah Stuelke leads Iowa with nine points. The Hawkeyes’ 10 turnovers have resulted in 15 points for Illinois. That’s the difference in the game so far.
8:33 pm CT
2Q, 4:42 left: Illinois 30, Iowa 28
Taylor Stremlow has made a pair of nifty reverse layups, including one just before the under-5 media timeout to cut Illinois’ leads to two.
Iowa defensive stopper Kylie Feuerbach had to take a seat after picking up her second foul at the 8:06 mark.
Hannah Stuelke has six points. Good to see her moving well after getting banged up early in the first quarter.
8:20 pm CT
End of 1Q: Iowa 20, Illinois 17
Kylie Feuerbach has two 3-pointers early, including one just before the buzzer to give Iowa a three-point lead after 10 minutes.
Iowa had five turnovers in that first quarter, and Illinois converted them into nine points.
8:14 pm CT
1Q, 3:06 left: Iowa 12, Illinois 11
A scary moment in the opening minutes as Iowa senior star Hannah Stuelke injured her right (shooting) arm after getting tangled up with an Illinois player as they went after a loose ball. Stuelke went to the locker room but returned to the bench with about 4 minutes left. Hopefully she can return to the floor soon for her final regular-season game at Carver-Hawkeye.
Ava Heiden has eight points early to lead Iowa. Former Hawkeye Aaliyah Guyton has five points to lead Illinois.
Update: Stuelke returned to the game after the under-5 media timeout.
8:02 pm CT
We’re underway
The Hawkeyes control the tip and away we go.
Illinois clinches a single-bye in the Big Ten Tournament with a win.
Iowa clinches either a 2 or 3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament with a win.
7:41 pm CT
Iowa women’s basketball vs. Illinois starting lineups
Illinois:
- G: Aaliyah Guyton
- G Destiny Jackson (leads Illini at 5.3 assists per game)
- G Jasmine Brown-Hagger
- F Berry Wallace (leads Illini at 18.8 points per game)
- F Cearah Parchment (leads Illini at 8.6 rebounds per game)
Iowa:
- G Taylor Stremlow
- G Kylie Feuerbach
- G Chit-Chat Wright (leads Hawkeyes at 4.8 assists per game)
- F Hannah Stuelke (leads Hawkeyes at 8.9 rebounds per game)
- C Ava Heiden (leads Hawkeyes at 17.3 points per game)
7:30 pm CT
Hear from Hannah Stuelke before her final regular-season game at Carver
7:15 pm CT
Dargan Southard’s game preview
7:00 pm CT
Iowa women’s basketball vs. Illinois prediction
The Hawkeyes get all they can handle against an Illinois squad most recently projected as an NCAA Tournament No. 8 seed by ESPN. But steady production via Ava Heiden, plus more defensive and rebounding dominance from Hannah Stuelke, successfully push Iowa across the finish line. Look for a rebound performance from Chit-Chat Wright as well after two tough games.
Iowa 72, Illinois 65.
― Dargan Southard (full preview story)
6:45 pm CT
What channel is Iowa women’s basketball vs. Illinois on today?
6:30 pm CT
Iowa vs. Illinois time today
- Date: Thursday, Feb. 26
- Start time: 8 p.m. CT
- Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa
