SPORTS

AMES — The Iowa State Cyclone women’s basketball team remained unbeaten Thursday night, November 5, 2026, defeating Nicholls 68-44 at Hilton Coliseum behind a breakthrough performance from freshman Tjaša Turnšek, who recorded her first collegiate double-double.

Iowa State improved to 2-0 on the season, while Nicholls fell to 1-1. Turnšek led the Cyclones with 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting and 13 rebounds, while Sienna Harvey scored 15 points with five rebounds and four assists. Mya Babbitt connected on three 3-pointers and added 11 points.

The win followed Iowa State’s 90-61 season-opening victory over Grambling State, giving the Cyclones two wins to begin the 2026-27 campaign.

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.

ORLANDO, FLORIDA — The Iowa State women’s soccer team closed its 2026 season Thursday, November 5, with a 7-0 loss at UCF, matching the second-worst margin of defeat in program history in what the Cyclones identified as head coach Matt Fannon’s final match.

Iowa State finished 4-11-4 overall and 0-9-2 in Big 12 play. UCF improved to 11-4-2 overall and 6-3-2 in the conference.

The Knights scored five times in the opening half and added two more after halftime. They outshot Iowa State 26-7, including a 12-0 advantage in shots on goal, and held a 9-1 edge in corner kicks.

CEDAR FALLS — The Northern Iowa women’s soccer team closed its 2026 season Thursday, November 5, with a hard-fought 1-0 loss to in-state rival Drake on a cold, drizzly afternoon in Cedar Falls.

The Panthers held the Bulldogs scoreless throughout the second half but could not overcome an early goal, finishing their season with a 1-13-3 overall record and a 1-6-2 mark in Missouri Valley Conference play.

Drake’s Isabella Balsley scored the game’s only goal in the 18th minute, taking advantage of a deflection inside the UNI penalty area.

COLUMBUS, OHIO — The No. 10 Iowa Hawkeye field hockey team battled back from an early deficit to defeat No. 12 Penn State, 2-1, on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals at Buckeye Varsity Field, advancing to a semifinal showdown with No. 1 Maryland.

CEDAR FALLS — The UNI Panther men’s basketball team launched a new era Tuesday, November 3, 2026, with a 106-70 victory over Cornell College at the McLeod Center, giving head coach Kyle Green his first Division I coaching win in Northern Iowa’s 2026-27 regular-season opener.