IOWA CITY — The 10th-ranked Iowa Hawkeye women’s basketball team overwhelmed Northern Iowa with relentless defense and efficient shooting Thursday night, November 12, 2026, rolling to a 78-40 victory before 13,609 fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Dani Carnegie led the Hawkeyes with 22 points and reached 1,000 career points as Iowa claimed its seventh consecutive victory over UNI. Iowa improved to 3-1, while the Panthers slipped to 1-2.
Iowa never trailed, opening an 18-5 lead after one quarter and pulling away to 40-11 at halftime. The Hawkeyes outscored the Panthers 28-13 in the third quarter for a 68-24 advantage entering the final period.
Carnegie reaches milestone as Iowa women’s basketball rolls
Carnegie shot 9-of-13 from the floor and added six assists and four rebounds. Her 22-point night marked her second 20-point game in an Iowa uniform.
Ava Heiden scored 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting, plus four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Freshman McKenna Woliczko added 14 points and a career-best nine boards, hitting two three-pointers. Woliczko has scored in double figures in three of her first four college games.
Jocelyn Faison matched a career high with seven points, all in the third quarter, while Chit-Chat Wright scored six and distributed five assists. Journey Houston collected seven rebounds.
The Hawkeyes made 32 of 58 field goals (55.2 percent), assisted on 24 baskets and owned a 42-14 edge in points in the paint. Iowa also held a 22-0 fast-break scoring advantage.
The strong two-way performance followed Iowa’s 80-39 victory over Eastern Illinois earlier in the month.
Hawkeye defense forces 26 turnovers
UNI managed only five points in the opening quarter and six in the second. The Panthers’ 11 first-half points were one above Iowa’s school record for fewest points allowed in a half.
Iowa forced 26 Panther turnovers and turned them into 28 points while registering 11 steals and three blocks. UNI shot 14-of-55 (25.5 percent) overall and 5-of-23 (21.7 percent) from three-point range.
Iowa has held three of its first four opponents — Towson, Eastern Illinois and UNI — below 50 points. The Hawkeyes led by as many as 46 and held the lead for 37:47.
UNI women’s basketball finds individual bright spots
Jenna Twedt led Northern Iowa with eight points. Callie Levin scored six on two three-pointers, while Mya Nicholson added five. Levin, who previously spent two seasons with Iowa, made two threes in her return to Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Taylor Franck pulled down a career-high seven rebounds, along with two steals and her first career assist. Elise Jaeger recorded four steals, and Abby Tuttle had a team-best three assists.
Le’Sedra Williams scored her first collegiate points with two free throws and collected her first two career rebounds. UNI scored 16 fourth-quarter points, holding Iowa scoreless for the final 4:02 and finishing with eight unanswered.
The Panthers entered the rivalry game after falling 76-54 at South Dakota State.
Despite the defeat, UNI extended its program-record streak of games with a made three-pointer to 580, a run dating to December 6, 2008.
Warren looks ahead to Creighton
“It’s only a loss if we lose the lesson,” UNI head coach Tanya Warren said, pointing to her young team’s need to grow from playing a nationally ranked opponent in a difficult road environment.
Warren said she likes her team’s versatility and believes the Panthers can improve as they gain experience and stay healthy. UNI dropped to 3-29 all-time against Iowa.
Iowa returns to action Sunday, November 15, against No. 8 Vanderbilt at noon in Sioux City. The game will air on FS1. The Hawkeyes then host Montana State on Thursday, November 19, at 7 p.m.
UNI hosts Creighton on Sunday, November 15, at 2 p.m. in the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls. The game will be available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network.