Jordan Hobbs drops career-high 28 points in Michigan basketball win over Iowa State in first round of NCAA tournament

No. 6 seed Michigan women’s basketball came out on top 80-74 against No. 11 seed Iowa State in the first round of the NCAA tournament Friday. Senior guard Jordan Hobbs was the only returning starter from last season, and helped pull her team to a win with a career-high 28 points.

With their first tournament win since 2023, the Wolverines are moving on to play third-seeded Notre Dame or No. 14 seed Stephen F. Austin on Sunday.

Jordan Hobbs leads Michigan basketball past Iowa State in NCAA tournament

Hobbs was in a zone early in the contest and dropped ten points in the first quarter. No other player on either team scored more than three, and Michigan led 19-13 going into the second.

Cyclone forward Audi Crooks had 11 points in the second quarter on 5-of-5 shooting from the field. Crooks used her size to her advantage throughout the game and caused some problems for the smaller-statured Wolverines. Iowa State outscored Michigan 24-13 in the second quarter to take a 37-32 lead into halftime.

New: Michigan basketball survives second-half comeback, advances in NCAA tournament with 68-65 win over UC San Diego

The Cyclones came out of the locker room and extended their lead to double digits (42-32), but the Wolverines answered with back-to-back threes from Greta Kampschroeder and Hobbs. Freshman guards Olivia Olson and Syla Swords each added a three-pointer of their own before the quarter was over, and Michigan trailed 56-53 heading into the final stanza.

Over the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, the Wolverines went on a 13-3 run, and in the process grabbed their first lead (58-56) since they were up 29-27. Michigan stayed in front for the rest of the game with strong defense and timely rebounding.

The Wolverines shot 92 percent from the free throw line (12-of-13), compared to just 56 percent (5-of-9) for Iowa State. Michigan gave the ball away just 11 times and scored 21 points off of 18 Cyclone turnovers.

A little housekeeping#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/qJfsxw7sHh

— Michigan Women’s Basketball (@umichwbball) March 21, 2025

More: Max Bredeson looking to ‘be a face’ for newcomers, lead Michigan football ‘however it has to be done’

Hobbs made 5-of-10 threes and also pulled in six rebounds. Every other Wolverines starter scored in double figures: Olson had 16, Kampschroeder had 13, Mila Holloway contributed 12 and Swords added 11. Swords also tied for a game-high with nine rebounds and recorded a team-high six assists.

Crooks ended with a stat line of 28 points, seven rebounds and four assists for the Cyclones.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics and Big Ten content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms