INDIANAPOLIS -- Nia Coffey scored a season-high 34 points, Lauren Douglas added 17 -- including four free throws in the last 10 seconds -- and ninth-seeded Northwestern edged eighth-seeded Iowa 78-73 in the second round of the Big Ten tournament on Thursday.
Coffey had 15 points in the second quarter as the Wildcats erased a five-point deficit to lead 41-32 at the half. Iowa's Megan Gustafson had 13 of her 27 in the third quarter, including the last five to help the Hawkeyes cut a 12-point deficit to 60-55 entering the fourth quarter.
Back-to-back baskets by Gustafson and Kathleen Doyle put Iowa up 69-68 with 3:45 to play but Christen Inman quickly answered for Northwestern.