Iowa Women Advance To Big Ten Tourney Finals

Iowa will play for the Big Ten Conference Tournament championship for the first time since 2010. The fifth-seeded and 23rd-ranked Hawkeyes never trailed in their semifinal victory advanced to the title game with a 77-73 victory over eighth-seeded Ohio State Saturday afternoon in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Iowa never trailed in the game but survived a late challenge by the Buckeyes, who put together an 8-0 run and tied the game at 73-all with just under two minutes remaining. On the Hawkeyes' next possession, Theairra Taylor made the shot of the game. With the shot clock winding down, the senior guard drove into triple coverage and broke the tie with an off-balance, under-handed shot that put the Iowa ahead to stay.

Taylor led the Hawkeyes with a game-high 21 points, while freshman Ally Disterhoft scored 18.

Iowa (26-7) will face third-seeded Nebraska at noon on Sunday, with the winner getting an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Cornhuskers beat second-seeded Michigan State 86-58 in Saturday's other semifinal.

The Hawkeyes are trying to become the first women's team in league history to win four Big Ten tournament games. Iowa made it to the semifinals with victories over Illinois on Thursday and Purdue on Friday.