Deal, Heiden led No. 11 Iowa women in 86-69 victory over Western Illinois

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IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Addison Deal scored 17 points of the bench, Ava Heiden had her fourth double-double of the season, and No. 11 Iowa defeated Western Illinois 86-69 on Wednesday night.

The Hawkeyes made 16 of 20 shots inside the arc in the first, 19 of 31 overall, and led 44-25 at the break. Heiden made 5 of 5 shot attempts and scored 13 points. She grabbed eight rebounds in the half.

Iowa's lead ranged from 18 to 23 points throughout the second half until Kennedy Herrig made two free throws for Western Illinois in the final minute.

Heiden, a sophomore, earned National Player of the Week honors from the United States Basketball Writers Association following her efforts against No. 7 Baylor and Miami at the WBCA Showcase. She recorded 18 points, 11 rebounds and three assists against Baylor and scored 20 points against Miami as the Hawkeyes won the tournament championship.

Against Western Illinois, Heiden finished with 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting plus 10 rebounds and three steals. Deal, a freshman, had her career highs in points, assists (5) and rebounds (3). Taylor McCabe scored 15 points and Hannah Stuelke 12 for the Hawkeyes (7-0).

Mia Nicastro scored 20 points, Reagan McCowan 16, and Addie Brownfield and Mallory Shetley 10 each for the Leathernecks (4-1).

Iowa: The Hawkeyes host Fairfield on Sunday, then open Big Ten play at Rutgers on Dec. 6.

Western Illinois: The Leathernecks host St. Francis of Illinois on Dec. 4.

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