Iowa women's basketball beats Western Michigan thanks to hot 3-point shooting

Once Alexis Sevillian got the Hawkeyes going, the team's sharpshooting took care of the rest.

Iowa's Alexis Sevillian takes a shot during the Hawkeyes' game against Northern Illinois at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017.

The redshirt freshman notched seven of Iowa's first 11 points, and the Hawkeyes hit 11 3-pointers to propel the women's basketball team to a 79-56 win against Western Michigan at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday.

Sevillian, a guard who grew up a few hours' drive from WMU, would finish the game with 19 points, six assists and five rebounds as Iowa moved to 4-0.

"It's exciting for me to get my first win over a Michigan school," she told Hawkeye athletics after the game. "It's a reminder why I chose Iowa over any other school."

Sevillian was only outscored by teammate Makenzie Meyer, who poured in 21 points on 8 of 12 shooting, including a 5 of 8 performance from 3-point range.

And of course, Hawkeye junior Megan Gustafson recorded her fourth straight double-double by scoring 15 points and grabbing 13 boards.

But it was the shooting that made the difference. Iowa hit 11 of 26 3-point attempts while Western Michigan made 6 of 24 long balls. The Hawkeyes shot better from deep (42 percent) than the Broncos did from the floor in general (30 percent).

Iowa's Tania Davis shoots a 3-pointer during the Hawkeyes' game against Northern Illinois at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017.

Coach Lisa Bluder lauded her team's ball movement after the game.

"We try to get that mentality of passing up a good shot for a great shot," Bluder said. "They buy into the team basketball. It was nice to see only eight turnovers, we're always working on that."

The Hawkeyes will have their first game away from Iowa City at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, against Morgan State as a part of the 2017 Puerto Rico Classic.