The No. 12 Iowa women’s basketball team secured a significant victory against Purdue, winning 83-74 on Thursday at Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, Indiana. Freshman guard Journey Houston made an impressive impact during her first start, recording a career-high 16 points with a shooting performance of 5-for-9 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line, complementing her contributions with five rebounds and two assists in 28 minutes.
Originally coming off the bench, Houston was elevated to the starting position due to an injury to senior forward Hannah Stuelke. Despite feeling nervous at first, Houston addressed her emotions by approaching the game with a focus on daily readiness. “I feel like I have a good sense of my role. I try not to do too much at times, and I just give effort,” she stated, emphasizing teamwork with her teammates who were also on fire, including Taylor Stremlow and Ava Heiden.
Stuelke’s status is currently day-to-day as she recovers from an upper-body injury, with hopes that she will be back in time for Iowa’s next game on February 22 against No. 5 Michigan. If Stuelke is unable to play or is limited, the team now has confidence in Houston’s ability to contribute significantly when needed.
The upcoming matchup against Michigan is set for 11 a.m. CT on Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, creating an opportunity for Iowa to continue its strong season in front of home fans on senior day. This game will be broadcasted on Fox, promising to be a thrilling contest as both teams vie for important standings in the Big Ten.