AP FILE PHOTO - Iowa center Ava Heiden (5) shoots the ball over Illinois defender Berry Wallace during a Big Ten Conference basketball game on Feb. 26 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. Heiden scored a team-leading 16 points in Iowa’s 64-58 win over Illinois in Friday’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

INDIANAPOLIS — The Iowa women’s basketball team built a big early lead and held off a late surge from Illinois to secure a 64-58 win Friday night in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Second-seeded Iowa advanced to the tournament semifinals after controlling most of the game before Illinois made a fourth-quarter push that cut a 22-point deficit to single digits in the final minutes.

Center Ava Heiden led ninth-ranked Iowa with 16 points, continuing a stretch of strong play in the post as the Hawkeyes improved to 25-5. Iowa placed four players in double figures, using balanced scoring and ball movement to create separation early.

“I’m just really proud of Ava,” Iowa head coach Jan Jensen said. “It was about a year ago where she started to show glimpses of what I thought she could be. It’s a beautiful thing when the lights kind of go on.”

Iowa seized control in the opening quarter, building a 21-11 lead behind interior scoring and crisp passing. The Hawkeyes extended the advantage to 37-23 by halftime, consistently finding openings in the lane and forcing Illinois into difficult shots.

Forward Hannah Stuelke provided a steady presence inside while guard Chazadi Wright helped stretch the defense from the perimeter. Iowa’s offense continued to hum in the third quarter, when a quick run pushed the lead to as many as 22 points.

But Illinois refused to fade quietly.

Guard Jasmine Brown-Hagger sparked the Illini offense with a season-high 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting, helping ignite a late comeback attempt. Forward Berry Wallace added 13 points as Illinois began to chip away at Iowa’s lead in the fourth quarter.

Illinois (21-11), seeded 10th, scored 27 points in the final period, cutting the deficit to single digits late and forcing Iowa to protect the ball and make key defensive stops down the stretch.

The Illini scored the game’s final 15 points as the Hawkeyes didn’t score for the last 3:59.

“I thought the first quarter to start the game, we came out flat and got behind and dug ourselves a 10-point hole and just didn’t have enough to really fight back,” Illinois coach Shauna Green said.

Still, Green praised her team’s effort during the late rally.

“We fought. We came back. We clawed. We did everything we could do, and we emptied our tank in that fourth quarter,” she said. “I’m really proud of that.”

Defense played a major role in Iowa’s ability to control the game early. The Hawkeyes held Illinois to 33.3% shooting from the field and limited forward Cearah Parchment, one of the Illini’s top scoring threats, to just two points.

Jensen said Iowa’s defensive adjustments from the teams’ regular-season meeting helped slow Illinois’ inside attack.

“We made some defensive tweaks,” Jensen said. “We were able to tone down their inside kids a little better.”

Offensively, Iowa continued its season-long emphasis on sharing the ball. The Hawkeyes finished with 20 assists, repeatedly finding open shooters and cutters throughout the first three quarters.

“That’s kind of been ingrained,” Jensen said. “We always celebrate the pass. Sometimes we try to make a bigger deal out of the pass than the score itself.”

The Hawkeyes also received a lift from Stuelke, who returned to action after battling an elbow injury and illness earlier in the week.

“Hannah has not come to practice barely since the Illinois game when she got hurt,” Jensen said. “Then she got that virus stuff that everybody has going around. But we found a good way to tape the elbow and she looked really good at shootaround.”

Illinois relied heavily on its backcourt to stay within reach. Freshman guard Destiny Jackson contributed 10 points and six assists while committing just two turnovers in the tournament setting.

“She’s a freshman point guard that’s still learning a lot, being on this stage,” Green said. “But she responded. She ended up with six assists and only two turnovers, which was really important.”

Guard Taylor Stremlow said the Hawkeyes also drew energy from the large contingent of Iowa fans in attendance in Indianapolis.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from the Hawkeye fans,” Stremlow said. “We never take it for granted. They travel wherever we go.”

Despite Illinois’ late push, Iowa maintained enough control to close out the win and move on in the conference tournament.

Jensen said the tense finish could serve as valuable experience for the Hawkeyes as postseason play continues.

“The last five minutes were a really good game,” Jensen said. “Hopefully that experience is going to come in handy if we get to keep playing deep in April.”

Iowa will face Michigan in Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. semifinal.

No. 9 Iowa 64, Illinois 58

ILLINOIS (21-11) — Parchment 1-7 0-0 2, Wallace 5-17 2-2 13, Brown-Hagger 8-13 4-6 22, Guyton 0-4 2-2 2, Jackson 3-8 3-4 10, Benson 0-0 0-0 0, Smith 0-0 0-0 0, Vasconcelos 0-2 0-0 0, Webber 4-12 0-0 9. TOTALS 21-63 11-14 58.

IOWA (25-5) — Stuelke 6-11 1-2 13, Heiden 6-7 4-4 16, Feuerbach 4-7 2-2 10, Stremlow 4-10 0-1 9, Wright 5-8 0-0 12, Hays 0-3 0-0 0, Deal 0-4 0-0 0, Houston 1-5 1-2 4, Levin 0-0 0-0 0, Mallegni 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS 26-55 8-11 64.

Illinois 11 12 8 27 — 58

Iowa 21 16 16 11 — 64

3-Point Goals–Illinois 5-22 (Parchment 0-4, Wallace 1-6, Brown-Hagger 2-4, Jackson 1-1, Webber 1-7), Iowa 4-14 (Feuerbach 0-3, Stremlow 1-6, Wright 2-3, Deal 0-1, Houston 1-1). Assists–Illinois 12 (Jackson 6), Iowa 20 (Stremlow 6). Fouled Out–None. Rebounds–Illinois 33 (Parchment 9), Iowa 36 (Houston 12). Total Fouls–Illinois 16, Iowa 14.