What was Jan Jensen message to Iowa to spark offense in fourth quarter?

INDIANAPOLIS — Iowa’s 59-42 victory over Michigan in Saturday’s Big Ten Tournament semifinal was sealed by a fourth-quarter surge, and postgame chatter quickly centered on what interim head coach Jan Jensen told her team to ignite that late burst.

Forward Hannah Stuelke, who played through the taped elbow that had kept her out of practice since the previous week, said the message was simple: “She just kept saying, ‘Attack, attack, attack. We’ve weathered their run; now it’s our turn.’”

The Hawkeyes, up 31-25 at the final break, opened the fourth on an 11-2 run and never let the Wolverines within double digits again. Jensen’s directive translated into decisive drives from Stuelke and center Ava Heiden, while guards Chazadi Wright and the rest of the perimeter corps pushed tempo off every defensive rebound.

“Coach J didn’t want us settling,” Stuelke told reporters in the Gainbridge Fieldhouse tunnel. “She said the first three minutes of the fourth would decide it, and if we came out swinging, they’d fade.”

The approach paid off. Iowa shot 6-of-9 inside the arc during that stretch, forced three turnovers, and turned the crowd noise into fuel for a 17-point cushion that held until the final buzzer.

With the win, the No. 9 seed Hawkeyes advance to their fifth Big Ten title game in six seasons and will await the winner of the late semifinal. Jensen, who took the reins this season, now has her first championship-game berth as a head coach, crediting a locker-room mantra she repeated all week: “Finish everything you start.”

Iowa will tip off for the tournament crown Sunday afternoon back inside the same downtown arena, looking to reclaim the trophy they last hoisted in 2024.