No. 9 Iowa beats No. 8 Michigan 59-42, advances to Big Ten title game vs UCLA

INDIANAPOLIS — Ava Heiden scored 16 points, Hannah Stuelke and Chazadi Wright each had 13, and No. 9 Iowa pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat No. 8 Michigan 59-42 on Saturday in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.

The Hawkeyes outscored the Wolverines 24-6 in the fourth quarter. Stuelke, who also had 10 rebounds, scored seven points in the initial 2:23 of the final quarter to push Iowa ahead 42-38.

That was part of a pivotal 15-2 run. Wright and Taylor Stremlow hit 3s on back-to-back possessions, then Heiden converted a layup for a 50-38 lead. Stremlow had 11 points with three 3s.

The Hawkeyes (26-5) advance to Sunday’s championship game against the second-ranked and defending champion UCLA Bruins (30-1), who beat No. 11 Ohio State 72-62 in Saturday’s first semifinal.

Iowa got off to a 9-0 start and limited Michigan to a season-low output for a first quarter in taking a 13-4 lead after one. But the Wolverines rallied. Mila Holloway, who missed her first seven shots, gave Michigan its first lead at 34-33 on a three-point play with 6:08 remaining in the third quarter.

Holloway sank a pullup jumper with 37 seconds left to give Michigan a 36-35 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Holloway and Olivia Olson each had 10 points, but combined to make 8 of 26 shots, including 1 of 9 on 3-pointers.

Michigan (25-6) set a program record for regular-season and conference victories. But their last two losses were to the Hawkeyes, who won 62-44 on Feb. 22 in Iowa City.