IOWA CITY — No. 10 Iowa women’s basketball overwhelmed Eastern Illinois 80-39 on Thursday, November 5, 2026, as freshman McKenna Woliczko scored a career-high 22 points and the Hawkeyes forced 27 turnovers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The Hawkeyes improved to 2-0, while Eastern Illinois fell to 0-2 before a crowd of 13,314. Woliczko shot 9-for-12 from the field and 4-for-6 from 3-point range in her first collegiate 20-point game.
Ava Heiden contributed 15 points on 7-for-8 shooting and a team-high eight rebounds, while Dani Carnegie added 12 points and seven rebounds. Iowa recorded 16 steals, converted Eastern Illinois turnovers into 30 points and outscored the Panthers 40-16 in the paint.
Hawkeyes seize control in second quarter
Eastern Illinois briefly held a 2-0 advantage before Woliczko hit a 3-pointer to give Iowa the lead. The Panthers stayed within seven points through the first quarter, trailing 17-10.
Iowa broke the game open in the second period, outscoring Eastern Illinois 27-8 to take a 44-18 halftime lead. The Hawkeyes led 60-30 after three quarters before winning the fourth 20-9.
The Hawkeyes held Eastern Illinois to 31.6 percent shooting and just two 3-pointers on nine attempts. The Panthers scored eight points in the second quarter and nine in the fourth.
Woliczko leads balanced offensive performance
Woliczko finished with 22 points, four rebounds and no turnovers in 23 minutes. Heiden added 15 points and eight rebounds, and Carnegie finished with 12 points and seven boards.
Amari Whiting paced Iowa with seven assists and six steals while collecting seven rebounds. Journey Houston contributed four steals, and Chazadi Wright had four assists.
Iowa handed out 22 assists on 31 made baskets, shot 44.3 percent overall and connected on nine 3-pointers, eight of them after halftime.
The Hawkeyes controlled the boards 44-25, including a commanding 20-4 advantage in offensive rebounds. Iowa also limited its own turnovers to 12, down from 16 in Monday’s season-opening victory over Towson.
Ava Stoller led Eastern Illinois with 10 points. Clara Glad scored nine and Abbie Boutilier added six.
No. 2 UConn awaits Sunday
Iowa’s next challenge will be a major step up in competition. The Hawkeyes travel to Storrs, Connecticut, to face No. 2 UConn at 1 p.m. Central on Sunday, November 8. The game will be televised nationally on FS1.
Iowa then returns home to host Northern Iowa on Thursday, November 12, at 7:30 p.m. Central at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, with coverage on BTN.
Those games follow a strong 2-0 opening in which Iowa has defeated Towson and Eastern Illinois by a combined 69 points. The matchup with UConn will offer a much tougher early-season test.