Tag: Iowa women’s basketball

After returning from their two-game Pacific Northwest road trip, the Iowa women’s basketball team (14-7, 4-6 Big Ten) took care of business in a surprisingly close 85-80 victory against Northwestern (7-12, 0-7 Big Ten) on Tuesday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 

Iowa shot 29-of-60 (48.3%) from the floor, 9-of-22 (40.9%) from beyond the arc, and an impressive 18-of-20 (90.0%) from the free throw line. The Hawkeyes also forced 13 turnovers by the Wildcats, including five steals and three blocks.

This victory further reestablishes the Hawkeyes on a positive path as they continue to fight back into the Big Ten conversation among the conference’s elite programs. 

As the Hawkeyes claim another victory in front of the Iowa faithful, here are the three stars from Tuesday night’s win.

Hannah Stuelke

After a two-game injury absence, Stuelke returned with flying colors as she finished with a team-leading 26 points off 10-for-17 (58.8%) from the floor and a perfect 6-for-6 (100%) from the charity stripe. She also registered six rebounds, two assists, and one steal in her 27 minutes of play.

Stuelke’s return is a much-needed relief for the Hawkeyes, as her leadership value on the court keeps the Hawkeyes stable, no matter the opponent.

Stuelke was asked in a post-game interview with the Big Ten Network how she felt in her return from injury, to which she replied by stating she enjoyed running the court and her teammates effectively distributing the ball to her.

“Yeah, it felt amazing getting up and down the court. My teammates finding me, they’ve been absolutely amazing at doing that. So, yeah, I think we were just all really clicking,” Stuelke said.

Lucy Olsen

While not nearly as impressive as her outing against Washington, Olsen still finished with 16 points off 6-for-14 (42.9%) from the floor, 1-for-4 (25.0%) from deep, and 3-for-4 (75.0%) from the free-throw line. She also finished with six assists, five rebounds, two steals, and one block in 36 minutes of play.

Olsen’s impressive recent play is part of why Iowa has been successful over the past two games and will need to continue in their next game against a formidable Trojans defense.

Aaliyah Guyton

Guyton had a career-high performance Tuesday night by finishing with a season-high 15 points off of 4-for-10 (40.0%) from the floor, 3-for-7 (42.9%) from deep, and a flawless 4-for-4 (10%) from the charity stripe. The freshman guard also registered three rebounds and three assists in her season-high 31 minutes of action.

The stellar performance of the freshman is exciting as she continues to make a valuable impact, whether she is inserted in the starting lineup or coming off the bench.

As previously mentioned, Iowa’s next matchup will be a high-profile spectacle, with the women’s college basketball world tuning in to see Hawkeyes legend Caitlin Clark have her No. 22 retired to the rafters of Carver-Hawkeye Arena ahead of Sunday’s matchup vs. No. 4-ranked USC (18-1, 8-0 Big Ten).

Sunday’s game will be broadcast nationally on FOX and through the air on the Hawkeye Radio Network, with a tip-off time inside a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena set for 12:30 p.m. CT.