Issue link: https://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1208097
29 A n unlikely hero emerged Jan. 26 to carry the University of Iowa women's basketball team to victory on the day Megan Gustafson's No. 10 jersey was retired and raised to the raers in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Freshman McKenna Warnock scored a game-high 22 points — 15 coming during Iowa's 28-point fourth quarter — leading the Hawkeyes to a 74- 57 win over Michigan State. Warnock is from Marshall, Wisconsin, a five-plus hour drive southeast of Gustafson's home in Port Wing, Wisconsin. It's not that the Michigan State-Iowa game was secondary, but 13,420 fans — the fourth-largest crowd in Iowa women's basketball history — were also there to see Gustafson, the first- ever consensus national player of the year in Big Ten history. e visiting Spartans led most of the third quarter and held a 50-48 advantage with 6:17 remaining. But Warnock wasn't about to allow Iowa's 31-game home winning streak to end. Or leave a bittersweet feeling on an aernoon honoring a fellow Wisconsin native. Prior to the Michigan State game, Warnock was averaging 6.8 points in 19 games. Five times she had scored in double figures, so the fact she might save the day for the Hawkeyes in a critical Big Ten game seemed improbable. Improbable could also describe the unmatched college career Gustafson enjoyed. ere are 164 people in Port Wing, fewer than that when the Gustafson family le for game days in Iowa City, Iowa. "It's incredible to come from such a small town and be a role model for other people, especially those that come from a small town like me," Gustafson said. "When you're younger, you just want to play and see what happens. You see other people accomplishing those things and you want to be able to accomplish that for yourself. To be at this point in my life where I was able to do that is surreal." Gustafson averaged 10.7 points and 6.8 rebounds as a Hawkeye freshman. e next season she scored 18.5 points per game, averaged 10.1 rebounds, and shot 65 percent from the field. She was named first-team All-Big Ten aer her sophomore season, but there was much more to come. During her final two seasons, Gustafson scored 1,824 points (26.8 points per game) with 892 rebounds (13.1); she shot 68.5 percent from the field. Aer her senior season in 2018-19, when Iowa went 29-7 and advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, Gustafson was named AP Player of the Year, ESPNW National Player of the Year, Naismith Trophy Winner, USBWA Player of the Year, Lisa Leslie Award winner, and the list goes on and on (the accolades on her online bio page extends 16 inches). When you accomplish all that, your jersey is retired. Gustafson's No. 10 joins the No. 30 of Michelle Edwards as the only two Iowa women's basketball numbers to be retired. Edwards had her ceremony in 1990. "I don't play the game of basketball just because of the game, I play it for so much more," Gustafson said. "I play it to inspire other people, other girls and boys to know they can play and they can realize their own dreams. ankfully the University of Iowa has given me such an amazing platform to do just that." Gustafson was selected by the Dallas Wings with the 17th pick in the 2019 WNBA Dra. She played 25 games, scoring 73 points with 63 rebounds. Gustafson is currently playing professionally in Budapest, Hungary, where her season with NKE- FCSM Csata will conclude in April or May. As of Feb. 12, she was averaging 16.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. On Jan. 26, sitting courtside in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Gustafson was Hawkeye royalty. rough hard work, she earned the crown, as improbable as that might have seemed five years ago. "I was crying a lot and got emotional at the ceremony, because this university, program, girls, and coaches mean so much to me," Gustafson said. "ey shaped me into the person I am today." FEBRUARY SCHEDULE Feb. 6 Nebraska Feb. 9 at Purdue Feb. 13 at Maryland Feb. 16 Wisconsin Feb. 22 Penn State Feb. 27 Minnesota