On the night, the 6-foot-4 native of Sherwood, Ore., scored 28 points on 13-for-18 from the floor and 2-for2 at the free-throw line, to go along with four rebounds, one assist, and one block in 23 minutes of play for her fourth consecutive contest with at least 21 points. Equally as impressive, 20 of Heiden’s 28 points came in the third and fourth quarters of the game.<\/p>\n
Sophomore Taylor Stremlow also recorded her first career double-double with 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting and 1-for-1 at the charity stripe, to go with 11 assists, three rebounds, and one steal in 34 minutes.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Illinois was on fire from 3-point territory, as the Fighting Illini shot 11-for-19 from beyond the arc on the night. Despite the loss, sophomore forward Barry Wallace (21 points) and freshman forward Cearah Parchment (20 points) powered the Illinois offense through a combined 16-for-32 shooting and 5-for-11 from deep.<\/p>\n
Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!<\/a><\/p>\n With the win, the Hawkeyes have now officially secured a double-bye in the 2026 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament, where they will either be the No. 2 or No. 3 seed, depending on the result of their final game of the season on March 1.<\/p>\n Final: Iowa 82, Illinois 78<\/p>\n IN HEAVEN, THERE IS NO BEER!<\/p>\n In a last gasp effort by the Fighting Illini, senior Kylie Fuererbach puts herself into position to draw an offensive foul with 4.7 seconds remaining.<\/p>\n After being fouled moments later, Stuelke would make the front half of her two free throws and effectively seal the deal for the Hawkeyes.<\/p>\n HAWKEYES WIN!!!<\/p>\n 23.6 4th Quarter: Iowa 77, Illinois 73<\/p>\n Illinois Timeout.<\/p>\n Immediately after entering the game, Stuelke finds Heiden on a subtle slip to the basket to give her a new career-high 28 points and the Hawkeyes a four-point lead.<\/p>\n 0:47.5 4th Quarter: Iowa 75, Illinois 73<\/p>\n Iowa Timeout.<\/p>\n Stuelke picks off a pass by Guyton, and Iowa calls a timeout quickly.<\/p>\n 0:56 4th Quarter: Iowa 75, Illinois 73<\/p>\n Illinois Timeout.<\/p>\n The Fighting Illini call a timeout to draw up a play with the Hawkeyes up by two points late.<\/p>\n Call is reversed<\/p>\n After review, the call is overturned, and Iowa gains possession.<\/p>\n Iowa has appealed an out-of-bounds ruling with 3:51 remaining<\/p>\n Call on the court is ruled off Stremlow, but the replay appears to say otherwise.<\/p>\n 4:08 4th Quarter: Illinois 69, Iowa 68<\/p>\n Illinois timeout.<\/p>\n The Fighting Illini call a timeout as the Hawkeyes have cut the deficit to just one point.<\/p>\n Illinois has shot a blazing hot 10-for-18 from beyond the arc, which has fueled their offense tonight.<\/p>\n Ava Heiden has 26 points so far, which is two points shy of a career-high.<\/p>\n 7:45 4th Quarter: Illinois 64, Iowa 58<\/p>\n Iowa Timeout.<\/p>\n Illinois has opened the fourth quarter with a pair of 3-pointers to force a timeout by Iowa.<\/p>\n Parchment has 20 points so far and is leading the Fighting Illini to a potential monumental upset.<\/p>\n End of 3rd Quarter: Illinois 56, Iowa 56<\/p>\n After an energetic third quarter of play, both Iowa and Illinois are tied at 56. Judging from the first three quarters, the fourth quarter should be extremely entertaining.<\/p>\n Heiden leads the Hawkeyes in scoring with 16 points on 8-for-11 shooting.<\/p>\n 4:31 3rd Quarter: Illinois 50, Iowa 45<\/p>\n Media Timeout.<\/p>\n Back-and-forth action between Iowa and Illinois as both teams are answering back on offense quickly. However, the Fighting Illini are carrying the pace right now.<\/p>\n Halftime: Iowa 35, Illinois 35<\/p>\n Iowa and Illinois enter halftime tied at 35 after Cearah Parchment nailed a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to even the score.<\/p>\n Iowa shot 15-for-26 from the floor, 2-for-5 from 3-point land, and 3-for-5 from the free-throw line, with Hannah Stuelke’s nine points on 4-for-7 shooting leading the way for the Hawkeyes.<\/p>\n Turnovers have been a problem so far for Iowa, as the Fighting Illini have converted 15 points off the Hawkeyes’ 10 turnovers.<\/p>\n 4:42 2nd Quarter: Iowa 30, Illinois 28<\/p>\n Media timeout.<\/p>\n After former Hawkeye Aaliyah Guyton’s deep 3-pointer gave Illinois the lead, Taylor Stremlow made a basket with a foul. Stremlow will be at the line to potentially complete a three-point play after the media break.<\/p>\n End of 1st Quarter: Iowa 20, Illinois 17<\/p>\n Kylie Fuereback drains a 3-pointer in the corner to give the Hawkeyes a three-point lead at the end of the opening quarter.<\/p>\n Ava Heiden still leads Iowa in scoring so far with eight points on 4-for-4 from the field.<\/p>\n Hannah Stuelke has returned<\/p>\n After a brief trip to the locker room with trainers, senior forward Hannah Stuelke has returned to the court.<\/p>\n 3:06 1st Quarter: Iowa 12, Illinois 11<\/p>\n Media Timeout.<\/p>\n After Iowa roared out to a 10-0 start, Illinois has crawled back to within one point of the Hawkeyes.<\/p>\n Ava Heiden leads Iowa in scoring so far with eight points on 4-for-4 from the field.<\/p>\n 8:32 1st Quarter: Iowa 2, Illinois 0<\/p>\n Hannah Stuelke assisted off the court after what appears to be an injury to her elbow.<\/p>\n Jouney Houston subs in for Stuelke, as the senior heads to the locker room.<\/p>\n Iowa Hawkeyes Starting Five Iowa Hawkeyes Injury Report<\/p>\n Nothing new for the Hawkeyes injury-wise tonight, as sophomore guard Emely Rodriguez is out again for the 22nd straight game, and senior forward Jada Gyamfi remains in recovery from her knee procedure.<\/p>\n How to watch Iowa women’s basketball vs. Illinois<\/p>\n Streaming: Big Ten Network<\/p>\n Tipoff Time: 8 p.m. CT<\/p>\n Watch Iowa vs. Illinois<\/a><\/p>\n Play-by-play voice Mike Hall and color analyst Brenda VanLengen will be on the call for tonight’s game between Iowa women’s basketball and Illinois from their booth at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, with the game being broadcast on the Big Ten Network.<\/p>\n How to stream Iowa women’s basketball vs. Illinois<\/p>\n Streaming: Fubo<\/p>\n Hawkeye fans can stream the Big Ten clash between Iowa women’s basketball and Illinois via Fubo<\/a>, which offers a free trial to first-time subscribers.<\/p>\n Hawkeye Radio Network Radio: Hawkeye Radio Network<\/a><\/p>\n Iowa fans can also tune in to play-by-play voice Rob Brooks and color analyst Kathryn Reynolds on the Hawkeye Radio Network.<\/p>\n Iowa women’s basketball schedule<\/p>\n All times CT<\/p>\n Nov. 3 vs. Southern:\u00a0Iowa 86, Southern 51Nov. 9 vs.\u00a0Evansville:\u00a0Iowa 119, Evansville 43Nov. 13 vs. Drake:\u00a0Iowa 100, Drake 58Nov. 16 at Northern Iowa:\u00a0Iowa 74, UNI 41Nov. 20 vs. Baylor (WBCA Showcase in Orlando):\u00a0Iowa 57, Baylor 52Nov. 22 vs. Miami (WBCA Showcase in Orlando):\u00a0Iowa 64, Miami 61Nov. 26 vs. Western Illinois:\u00a0Iowa 86, Western Illinois 69Nov. 30 vs. Fairfield:\u00a0Iowa 86, Fairfield 72Dec. 6 at Rutgers:\u00a0Iowa 79, Rutgers 36Dec. 10 at Iowa State:\u00a0Iowa State 74, Iowa 69Dec. 13 vs. Lindenwood:\u00a0Iowa 102, Lindenwood 68Dec. 20 vs. UConn (Champions Classic):\u00a0UConn 90, Iowa 64Dec. 28 vs. Penn State:\u00a0Iowa 99, Penn State 76Jan. 1 vs. Nebraska:\u00a0Iowa 86, Nebraska 76Jan. 5 at Northwestern:\u00a0Iowa 67, Northwestern 58Jan. 11 at Indiana:\u00a0Iowa 56, Indiana 53Jan. 15 vs. Oregon:\u00a0Iowa 74, Oregon 66Jan. 18 vs. Michigan State:\u00a0Iowa 75, Michigan State 68Jan. 22 at Maryland:\u00a0Iowa 85, Maryland 78 (OT)Jan. 25 vs. Ohio State:\u00a0Iowa 91, Ohio State 70Jan. 29 at USC:\u00a0USC 81, Iowa 69Feb. 1 at UCLA:\u00a0UCLA 88, Iowa 65Feb. 5 vs. Minnesota:\u00a0Minnesota 91, Iowa 85Feb. 11 vs. Washington:\u00a0Iowa 65, Washington 56Feb. 16 at Nebraska:\u00a0Iowa 80, Nebraska 67Feb. 19 at Purdue:\u00a0Iowa 83, Purdue 74Feb. 22 vs. Michigan:\u00a0Iowa 62, Michigan 44Feb. 26 vs. Illinois:\u00a0Iowa 82, Illinois 78March 1 at Wisconsin:\u00a0BTN+, 2 p.m.March 4-8 Big Ten Tournament<\/p>\n Contact\/Follow us\u00a0@HawkeyesWire<\/a>\u00a0on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.\u00a0Follow Scout on X:\u00a0@SpringgateNews<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Feb. 26, 2026Updated Feb. 27, 2026, 2:15 a.m. CT No. 9 Iowa women’s basketball (23-5, 14-3 Big Ten)…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":628226,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3724],"tags":[72400,7,76765,74893,72404,76583,72864,72452,72437,72696,73179,77931,82468,73012,74106,76581,72456,72445,72405,72526,72439,72406,72687,73163,73164,72403],"class_list":{"0":"post-628225","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-basketball","8":"tag-accessfree","9":"tag-basketball","10":"tag-sstssportscollegehawkeyeswomens-basketball","11":"tag-sstsnwomens-basketball","12":"tag-tagbasketball","13":"tag-tagbig-ten-conference-womens-basketball","14":"tag-tagcollege-basketball","15":"tag-tagcollege-sports","16":"tag-tagcontains-commerce-or-affiliate-content","17":"tag-tagfacebook","18":"tag-tagillinois","19":"tag-tagillinois-fighting-illini","20":"tag-tagillinois-fighting-illini-womens-basketball","21":"tag-tagiowa","22":"tag-tagiowa-hawkeyes","23":"tag-tagiowa-hawkeyes-womens-basketball","24":"tag-tagncaa-big-ten-conference","25":"tag-tagoverall-neutral","26":"tag-tagoverall-positive","27":"tag-tagsmg-timely","28":"tag-tagsport-scores-statistics","29":"tag-tagsports-news","30":"tag-tagtwitter","31":"tag-tagwomens-college-basketball","32":"tag-tagwomens-sports","33":"tag-typestory"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation 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