Amanda Zahui B. nets 39 points, 29 rebounds as Minnesota pulls upset
— -- MINNEAPOLIS -- Amanda Zahui B. scored a career-high 39 points and grabbed a conference-record 29 rebounds as Minnesota upset No. 13 Iowa 93-80 on Tuesday night.
"I just decided that I had to step up from the other games that we had played," Zahui B. said. "My teammates helped me out, and they had confidence in me. I just had to score and grab the boards."
Zahui B.'s rebounding record eclipsed the former Big Ten single-game mark of 26 set by Jerica Watson of Iowa in 2001. It matched the most rebounds recorded by a women's Division I player in 2014-15. (Mimi Mungedi of Nevada also notched 29.)
It was Zahui B.'s 19th double-double of the season, and she surpassed 1,000 career points in the win.
The performance came the same night the sophomore was honored pregame for becoming Minnesota's career blocks leader.
"I can talk for a long time about Amanda," Minnesota coach Marlene Stollings told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "Some of these things were just unprecedented. She's a sophomore and she's doing things that are unheard of. Her ceiling is so high still in what she's going to be able to do."
Zahui B. agreed she has room to grow.
"We had to win, and I'll do anything it takes for us to win," she said, according to the Pioneer Press. "I want to be the best, and I have to keep on working on it. Whatever it takes to become that player."
Minnesota (21-6, 10-5 Big Ten) led 48-42 at halftime. Melissa Dixon opened the second half with three 3-pointers as the Hawkeyes (21-5, 12-3), who had come in with a four-game win streak, battled to stay close, pulling to 57-54 with about four minutes gone.
Zahui B. added a jumper and a free throw, but Samantha Logic nailed a 3-pointer to close to 60-57 before Minnesota's Carlie Wagner added a trey followed by a pair of jump shots from Zahui B. for a 67-57 lead with 11:25 to go.
Iowa once again closed to 73-72 on a Logic 3-pointer with 7:31 to play, but the Gophers pushed their advantage back to 10 on a Mikayla Bailey 3-pointer with 2:18 left.
Wagner finished with 17 points for Minnesota, Shae Kelley added 13 and Bailey 10.
Logic led Iowa with 26 points and 13 assists for her 28th career double-double. Logic also grabbed eight rebounds. Bethany Doolittle added 18 points and 11 boards for her seventh double-double of the season. Dixon finished with 17 points on five treys.
Minnesota has a 21-win regular season for the first time since the 2004-05 season and 10 wins in the Big Ten for the first time since 2008-09.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
