Iowa women's basketball falls to UCLA | Likes, dislikes from B1G final

[ASFN Admin]

INDIANAPOLIS — No. 2 seed Iowa women's basketball fell hard to top-seed UCLA in the Big Ten Tournament title game on March 8, suffering a 96-45 loss inside Indianapolis' Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

While Iowa (26-6) loosely hung around when these teams met five weeks ago in Los Angeles, the Bruins (31-1) zoomed ahead instantly in this one. UCLA's 22-5 lead after a quarter only ballooned as the game went on.

An early look at what stood out.

Likes​

• Big Ten Tournament production as a whole: Title-game result aside, Iowa should still carry significant momentum into the NCAA Tournament after a productive stay in Indianapolis. Two defensive gems got the Hawkeyes to Sunday, and that's what they'll largely need to thrive in the rest of March Madness.
• Iowa gets another look at a giant up close: If the Hawkeyes are fortunate enough to reach the Elite Eight, this is the kind of foe that'll likely be waiting. While it might be considered a negative to see how wide the gap is between the Hawkeyes and the sport's ultimate upper echelon, high-end experiences like this one can prove beneficial down the road.
• Sporadic bright spots: Addie Deal delivered 11 points on three treys after having just two points in the first two Big Ten Tournament games combined. Ava Heiden reached double figures with 15 points on 7-for-11 shooting.

Dislikes​

• Iowa's rough start: A hefty challenge became even tougher as Iowa sputtered to a brutal offensive start. After Taylor Stremlow gave the Hawkeyes a 3-0 lead, Iowa missed its next nine shots as UCLA zoomed ahead. By the time the Hawkeyes scored again with 2:41 remaining in the quarter, the Bruins had already found their rhythm. Iowa unsuccessfully chased the rest of the day after falling in a 22-5 first-quarter hole.
• Iowa's perimeter defense: As the Hawkeyes dabbled with an early zone defense to counter Lauren Betts' size, that left Bruins open all over the perimeter. UCLA roared to a 6-for-11 showing from deep in the first half, with four different players hitting. That continued in the second half as the Bruins produced a 13-for-26 downtown showing overall.
• Finding consistent offensive success: UCLA did equal damage on the defensive side, helping stifle Iowa across the board aside from what Heiden could produce in spots. UCLA trotted to the locker room with a 20-4 scoring advantage in the paint en route to a 44-16 edge overall, with a lot of that coming on unaltered shots at the rim. Iowa's 19 turnovers, six coming from Taylor Stremlow, prevented any offensive rhythm from materializing.

Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Likes, dislikes from Iowa women's basketball loss to UCLA in B1G final

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