NCAAW: A breakout game from Addie Deal boosts Iowa to 6-0 in Big Ten

The No. 11 Iowa Hawkeyes were happy, healthy, and whole when they took on the Oregon Ducks at home on Thursday evening.

Fresh off their first three wins of 2026 against Nebraska, Northwestern and Indiana, Iowa came ready to play before yet another sold-out and raucous home crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The Hawkeyes were fully in-sync as they pulled off a great win, 74-66.

But the bigger development might have come from freshman guard Addie Deal, who proved that she is for real. Deal finished with a season-high 18 points, going 7-for-9 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 at the 3-point line.

Deal attributed her performance to going the extra mile in practice “Just putting in the extra work before practice and at times after practice,” she said.

Hannah Stuelke, who equalled Deal with 18 points, stood in amazement at her young teammate’s exploits, particularly from beyond the arc.

“I thought she was really locked in,” Stuelke shared. “It’s really hard to play in the Big Ten and I’m really proud of what she did today. I was just so hyped.”

Not to be outdone, Stuelke came close to a triple double as she had eight rebounds and eight assists in addition to her 18 points.

Iowa head coach Jan Jensen celebrated Deal, a native of Irvine, CA who attended Mater Dei High School and currently is averaging 5.6 points per game, as a player who is emerging at right time—as the Hawkeyes are about to embark on a tough stretch of their Big Ten schedule.

“I really believe in letting them develop,” Jensen emphasized. “So I really believe if we can continue to progress, I know Addie and what she’s made of and sometimes you have to go through a little adversity to get a little hungrier.”

On Sunday, Iowa will host No. 15 Michigan State at home. The following Thursday, Iowa will play No. 12 Maryland on the road. On Jan. 25, they will host No.14 Ohio State at home. After that, Iowa will head to the West Coast to play USC on Jan. 29 and then No. 3 UCLA on Feb. 1.

Ava Heiden finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. Kylie Feuerbach, fresh off a recent ankle injury, added 11 points, including two 3-pointers, as well as five assists. Chit-Chat Wright had nine points along with four rebounds and three 3-pointers. Altogether, Iowa shot 46.7 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from the 3-point line.

With the win, Iowa is now even at one with Oregon. On Jan. 19, 2025, Oregon defeated Iowa in the programs’ inaugural matchup, 50-49. The Hawkeyes also remain undefeated in Big Ten play and extend their current winning steak to five games.