Hannah Stuelke is perfect from the floor (and her ankle is OK) in Iowa’s Big Ten tournament win over Michigan

A 7-for-7 day isn’t spoiled by a brief injury scare in Hawkeyes’ 95-68 victory

MINNEAPOLIS — Hannah Stuelke hit the floor and clutched her left ankle. A perfect day ruined?

Not so.

Stuelke went 7-for-7 from the floor and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, scoring 16 points in third-ranked Iowa’s 95-68 Big Ten women’s basketball tournament semifinal victory Saturday over Michigan.

And that ankle, after stepping on the foot of a Michigan defender in the fourth quarter to temporarily silence an otherwise-deafening, sold-out Target Center?

“I’m feeling good,” Stuelke said.

“I’ll be good tomorrow.”

Tomorrow is Sunday, the tournament final at 11 a.m. against Nebraska. The second-team all-Big Ten Stuelke will match up with Nebraska’s first-team all-Big Ten center, Alexis Markowski.

Another battle awaits Iowa’s 6-foot-2 sophomore, who has proven herself inside all winter.

“(Stuelke is) very strong and also, she’s just very quick,” Iowa’s Kate Martin said. “She’s able to get around big posts who might not be as nimble afoot as she is. I just think she uses her outside hand really well to block off defenders’ hands. I’ve seen that day in and day out.”

Stuelke’s combination of post moves and quickness was on display again against a physical Michigan team. She contributed heavily to Iowa’s 54-16 advantage in points in the paint.

The Hawkeyes shot 61.3 percent overall.

“I don’t think any of us shoot to miss,” Stuelke said.

“She’s just a stud,” Martin said. “She works on those shots every day, so whenever they go in it’s really fun to see.”

Putting her at the line is no longer a safe bet, either. She’s made all eight attempts this week and is 22 for her last 31 (70.9%). Her percentage has improved from .460 a year ago to .611 this season.

“I think sometimes I hyper-focus on things and then I’m stressed out and I’m worried,” Stuelke said. “I think just stepping up to the line knowing I’ve done all these reps and just shooting it. They’ve been going in, so that’s good.”

You’d never sense any of those nerves watching her warm up. The pregame music frequently brings out moves you wouldn’t see during a game.

“I think I’ve always just been a fun, lighthearted person. I love to dance,” Stuelke said. “That makes me happy. It gets me ready to play, gets my body ready.”

Ready, and as confident as she’s ever been?

“Yeah,” she said. “Absolutely.”