Tag: Iowa women’s basketball

Three stars for Iowa women’s basketball vs. Michigan State

Three stars from Iowa women’s basketball’s tough battle inside the Breslin Center against Michigan State.

After a thrilling Wednesday night victory over No. 17 Iowa State from Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa women’s basketball (9-2, 0-1 Big Ten) suffered their second loss of the season and first conference defeat at No. 19 Michigan State (10-0, 1-0 Big Ten) on Sunday from East Lansing, Mich., 68-66.

While both teams shared relative shooting struggles throughout the contest, with the Hawkeyes finishing with a 36.5% clip from the floor and 36.0% from deep, Iowa’s 23 total turnovers and an ice-cold finish to the game buried their hopes of exiting Breslin Center victorious.

In terms of the Hawkeyes’ defense, they finished with 14 forced turnovers, including five blocks and five steals. The Hawkeyes also outrebounded the Spartans, 44-35.

Even with Michigan State going on a furious scoring run late in the fourth quarter, the Hawkeyes found themselves with an opportunity to take the lead in the waning seconds of the game, but a missed elbow jumper from senior guard Lucy Olsen put an end to the Hawkeyes’ last-ditch effort.

Despite the close loss to Michigan State, here are three Hawkeyes that stood out in Sunday’s game.

Hannah Stuelke

Stuelke continued her stellar play as of late on Sunday by posting a team-high 18 points on 4-of-10 (40%) shooting from the field and 10-of-14 (71.4%) from the charity stripe. She also added eight rebounds, two assists, and one block to her 34 minutes of playing time.

Despite the loss, Stuelkeā€™s performance was her team-leading sixth game this season with eight or more rebounds and her 46th career game in double figures.

Kylie Feuerbach

Feuerbach had a steady showing from beyond the arc with all 12 points coming from her 4-of-7 (57.2%) performance from deep. She also added three rebounds, two assists, and one block to close out her 27 minutes of game time.

Feuerbach’s four treys tied her career-high for 3-pointers against a Big Ten team.

Taylor McCabe

Even though McCabe played only 12 minutes, McCabe managed to knock down a pair of 3-pointers.

For McCabe, her ability to inject offense in her minimal time off the bench gives head coach Jan Jensen the confidence to provide her starters a rest while not jeopardizing Iowa’s offensive production.

The Hawkeyes’ next game will be on Friday, Dec. 20, vs. Northern Iowa (5-5) from Carver-Hawkeye Arena, with tipoff set for 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on BTN+ (subscription required) and the Hawkeye Radio Network.

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Iowa remains inside AP Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Poll

After splitting games against ranked opposition last week, Iowa remains inside the latest AP Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Poll.

After a week of mixed results for Iowa women’s basketball (9-2, 0-1 Big Ten), the Hawkeyes have dropped one spot in the recent AP Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Poll to No. 22.

Last week, Iowa experienced the thrill of a 75-69 victory over then-No. 18 Iowa State coupled with a somewhat frustrating 68-66 loss at then-No. 17 Michigan State.

Considering the highs of the rivalry victory over the Cyclones and the lows of a loss to the Spartans that the Hawkeyes let slip away late, their positioning at No. 22 does not come as a shocker to most.

Due to the holiday season approaching, the Hawkeyes will only have a lone 6:30 p.m. CT meeting vs. Northern Iowa (5-5) from Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Friday, Dec. 20, as ammunition to climb back up in the rankings before next week’s polls release.

As for the rest of the Big Ten, UCLA remains undefeated and atop the rankings nationally as the country’s No. 1 team.

The Bruins are followed by Big Ten foes Maryland at No. 8, Ohio State at No. 11, Michigan State at No. 15, Michigan at No. 20, and Nebraska at No. 23.

The lone Big Ten program receiving votes outside the top 25 is Illinois with 28 AP points.

Below is a look at the full AP Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Poll for Week 7:

Rank Team Record Points
1 UCLA 10-0 798 (30)
2 South Carolina 10-1 763 (1)
3 Notre Dame 9-2 716 (1)
4 UConn 9-1 668
5 LSU 12-0 649
6 Texas 10-1 632
7 USC 10-1 631
8 Maryland 10-0 598
9 Duke 9-2 523
10 Oklahoma 9-1 510
11 Ohio State 10-0 469
12 TCU 10-1 453
13 Kansas State 11-1 417
14 West Virginia 10-1 384
15 Michigan State 10-0 312
16 Kentucky 9-1 283
17 Georgia Tech 11-0 269
18 Tennessee 8-0 249
19 North Carolina 10-2 242
20 Michigan 9-1 183
21 North Carolina State 8-3 130
22 Iowa 9-2 102
23 Nebraska 10-1 94
24 California 11-1 81
25 Ole Miss 7-3 78

Others receiving votes:

Alabama 51, Iowa State 33, Illinois 28, Utah 15, Vanderbilt 14, South Dakota State 9, Richmond 5, Creighton 4, Oklahoma State 3, Harvard 3, Mississippi State 1

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Three stars from Iowa women’s basketball’s 75-69 comeback win vs. Iowa State

Three stars from Iowa women’s basketball’s Cy-Hawk win over Iowa State.

In Wednesday night’s Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series game from Carver-Hawkeye Arena, No. 24 Iowa women’s basketball (9-1) roared back vs. No. 17 Iowa State (8-3) for an impressive 75-69 victory.

As a team, the Hawkeyes shot 26-for-61 (42.6%) from the floor, 8-for-26 (32%) from 3-point territory, and converted on 15-of-25 free throw opportunities.

After chasing the game for most of the contest, Iowa’s defense stood strong late in the fourth quarter against a pesky Cyclones attack to propel the Hawkeyes to a 17-4 run during the game’s final five minutes. Iowa’s relentless defense finished with 21 forced turnovers, 12 steals, and seven blocks.

Here are the Hawkeyes’ three stars that helped spur Iowa to a rivalry win on Wednesday night.

Lucy Olsen

Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images

Senior guard Lucy Olsen led the Hawkeyes’ offensive attack Wednesday by finishing with a team-high 25 points on 9-of-22 from the floor and 7-for-9 from the charity stripe. She also added five assists, two steals, and one rebound to her 36 minutes of playing time.

Like almost every game Olsen has been a part of, her dynamic scoring ability has proven to be vital to the success of the Hawkeyes and will need to continue as conference play looms.

Sydney Affolter

Matthew Holst/Getty Images

Senior guard Sydney Affolter had her best performance of the season Wednesday night with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor, 3-of-6 from deep, and 1-of-2 from the charity stripe. She also tallied six rebounds, two assists, and two steals in her 30 minutes of game action.

Beyond her shooting, Affolter was a key cog in the Hawkeyes’ defensive effort as she pressured Iowa State into critical turnovers and early shots as the game came to a close.

For Affolter, Wednesday was a welcome sight as her play was pivotal in Iowa’s victory.

Hannah Stuelke

Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Junior forward Hannah Stuelke had another stellar game for the Hawkeyes with 13 points off 4-of-4 shooting from the field and 5-of-8 from the free throw line in 34 minutes of playing time.

Stuelke finished with nine (seven defensive) rebounds, four steals, two assists, and one block.

Iowa’s next game will be on Sunday, Dec. 15, when they travel to the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich., for their first Big Ten conference matchup of the season vs. No. 19 Michigan State (9-0).

Tipoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT and will air on the Big Ten Network. As always, the game will also be available through the radio on the Hawkeyes Radio Network.

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Iowa women’s head coach Jan Jensen applauds Hawkeyes fans in win over Iowa State

Carver-Hawkeye Arena was electric.

It’s a Hawkeye State!

Inside an electric and sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena, the Iowa Hawkeyes notched their biggest victory of the season taking down the No. 18 Iowa State Cyclones in the Cy-Hawk Rivarly.

Led by Lucy Olsen and her 25-point performance, the Hawkeyes outlasted Iowa State 75-69 with a dominant fourth quarter. In the final quarter, they outscored the Cyclones 22-13 to pull away.

In her first year leading the Hawkeyes, Iowa head coach Jan Jensen took in the atmosphere and thanked the Iowa fans for their part in this win.

“I couldnā€™t be more proud of our Hawks or happier for ā€˜em. They beat a tough & always well coached Iowa State team. They showed tremendous resilience & got the win! And, Carver, you were electric! Simply B1G Time!” Thx to all who came or watched at home! You guys are amazing,” Jansen said via her X account.

Despite Audi Crooks putting up 31 points and 10 rebounds in a strong performance, Iowa also leaned on their interior play.

Hannah Stuelke battled her way to 13 points and nine rebounds. Sydney Affolter, Iowa’s do-it-all star, poured in 16 points as well.

Iowa gets another shot at a ranked opponent this weekend. The Hawkeyes open up Big Ten play with a trip to take on the No. 17 Michigan State Spartans on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 11 a.m. CT, which will air on the Big Ten Network.

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Best photos from Iowa women’s basketball’s Cy-Hawk Series triumph

Relive Iowa’s thrilling 75-69 win over No. 17 Iowa State through these terrific photos.

The 24th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes (9-1) bounced back from a frustrating finish against Tennessee with a hard-fought rivalry victory over No. 17 Iowa State, 75-69.

Among the key takeaways versus the Cyclones, Iowa senior guard Lucy Olsen was once again terrific. Olsen dropped a team-high 25 points and added five assists and a pair of steals to help propel the Hawkeyes to victory.

Hawkeye senior guard Sydney Affolter tallied her season-high with 16 points. The Chicago native knocked down a trio of 3-pointers in the win.

Junior forward Hannah Stuelke rounded out Iowa’s double-figure scorers with 13 on the night.

After turning the basketball over 30 times in its loss against Tennessee, Iowa had just nine turnovers against Iowa State. Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes forced 21 Iowa State turnovers which Iowa turned into a 24-6 points off turnovers advantage.

Relive a victorious Cy-Hawk Series night for Hawkeye fans through these tremendous photos.

Iowa earns respect in CBS Sports women’s college basketball power rankings

Iowa is receiving some early-season respect despite their first loss.

After it took some time, maybe too much time, to go from being unranked to making their way in the polls, the Iowa Hawkeyes appear to have earned respect to hold steady in the polls despite a slip-up.

The Hawkeyes dropped their first game of the year to the Tennessee Volunteers by a score of 78-68 in the Champions Classic in New York.

The loss wasn’t too terribly bad for the Hawkeyes as the Volunteers currently find themselves sitting at No. 18 in the AP Top 25 women’s college basketball poll. Iowa is sitting at No. 24 after a small slide down the rankings.

One ranking that gave the Hawkeyes even more respect is CBS. The CBS Sports women’s college basketball power rankings only dropped Iowa one spot with the loss. They went from No. 20 to No. 21.

They do still sit right behind the Volunteers who jumped into the power rankings this week going from unranked to No. 20.

The Hawkeyes get two chances this week to make a statement to the rest of the women’s college basketball world with back-to-back games against ranked opponents in four days.

First is a home game on Wednesday, Dec. 11 against in-state rival, the Iowa State Cyclones, in the Cy-Hawk rivalry. At 8-2, the Cyclones are currently No. 17 in the AP Top 25.

Following that, Iowa makes a road trip to East Lansing, Michigan on Sunday, Dec. 15 for a ranked Big Ten battle against the No. 19 Michigan State Spartans who are 9-0.

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Iowa still inside latest USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll

Iowa remains inside the USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll.

Despite a tough loss against Tennessee from inside the Barclays Center on Saturday night, Iowa women’s basketball remains inside the latest edition of the USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll.

The Hawkeyes suffered their first loss of the season and its first of the Jan Jensen era in the 78-68 setback against the Volunteers.

Senior guard Lucy Olsen led the way for Iowa with 23 points on 7-of-14 shooting in the losing effort. Senior center Addison O’Grady registered her third career double-double and the second of this season with 17 points and 11 boards.

After the loss, Iowa slides four spots to No. 24 in the newest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. Meanwhile, Tennessee jumped into the poll and is ranked No. 18.

The Hawkeyes’ next two opponents are each ranked. Iowa will battle rival Iowa State on Wednesday night from inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena with tipoff set for 8 p.m. CT and the game to air on FS1. The Cyclones are currently ranked No. 17.

Then, Iowa travels to No. 19 Michigan State on Sunday for a game that will tip off at 11 a.m. CT and air on the Big Ten Network.

UCLA remains the nation’s No. 1 team, while fellow Big Ten squads USC, Maryland, Ohio State and Illinois also crack the rankings. USC is ranked No. 5, Maryland No. 7, Ohio State No. 8 and Illinois No. 25.

Big Ten squads Michigan and Nebraska are also receiving votes.

Here’s a look at the latest USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll in full.

Rank Team Record Points
1 UCLA 9-0 767 (23)
2 UConn 8-0 751 (8)
3 South Carolina 9-1 710
4 LSU 11-0 673
5 USC 8-1 620
6 Texas 8-1 595
7 Maryland 10-0 564
8 Ohio State 8-0 556
9 Notre Dame 7-2 546
10 Duke 9-2 483
11 Oklahoma 8-1 476
12 Kansas State 10-1 415
13 West Virginia 9-1 385
14 North Carolina 9-1 369
15 TCU 9-1 365
16 Kentucky 8-1 246
17 Iowa State 8-2 220
18 Tennessee 7-0 201
19 Michigan State 9-0 182
20 North Carolina State 6-3 161
21 Baylor 9-2 135
22 Alabama 9-1 115
22 Ole Miss 6-3 113
24 Iowa 8-1 93
25 Illinois 7-2 71

Schools Dropped Out

No. 22 Louisville;

Others Receiving Votes

Georgia Tech 68;Ā Michigan 57;Ā Nebraska 42;Ā Louisville 31;Ā Mississippi State 13;Ā Utah 12;Ā Florida State 11; California 11; Vanderbilt 10; South Dakota State 7; Stanford 1.

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ESPN reacts to Iowa’s slide in AP Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Poll

ESPN reacts to Iowa’s first loss and small slide in the AP Top 25.

After a red-hot 8-0 start to the season, the Iowa Hawkeyes took their first stumble in a loss to the Tennessee Volunteers over the weekend.

Sitting at 8-1, the Hawkeyes still have everything in front of them as they prepare for Big Ten Conference play and their toughest stretch yet of the season.

The loss, although an uncharacteristically sloppy performance from the Hawkeyes, didn’t hurt them too badly in the polls. Iowa slid just four spots from No. 17 down to No. 21 in this week’s AP Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Poll.

ESPN provided an initial reaction to the Hawkeyes’ slide along with what caused it and a look ahead.

21. Iowa Hawkeyes

Previous ranking:Ā 17

2024-25 record:Ā 8-1

Stat to know:Ā If you didn’t read Tennessee’s blurb, this is worth repeating: The Hawkeyes committed 30 turnovers in their first loss of the season — their most giveaways in a game since November 2002.

What’s next: Wednesday vs. Iowa State, 9 p.m., FS1 – ESPN

Fortunately, the Hawkeyes have two chances this week to get back on track and climb back inside the top 20 in the polls.

First up is a highly-anticipated Cy-Hawk Game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena against the No. 18 Iowa State Cyclones. This one tips off at 8 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Dec. 11, and will air on FS1.

Following that, Iowa hits the road for their first Big Ten contest of the year as they head to take on the No. 17 Michigan State Spartans. This contest is set for Sunday, Dec. 15 at 11 a.m. and will air on the Big Ten Network.

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Iowa slips in latest AP Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Poll

It was just a slight drop in the AP Top 25 for Iowa women’s basketball.

Iowa women’s basketball suffered its first loss of the season over the weekend.

The Hawkeyes fell against Tennessee, 78-68, in a back-and-forth affair in the Shark Beauty Women’s Champions Classic from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

The game saw 10 ties and 16 lead changes. Ultimately, a 14-1 run to close the game from the Volunteers and Iowa’s 30 turnovers that Tennessee turned into 42 points proved to be the difference.

Senior guard Lucy Olsen finished with 23 points on 7-of-14 shooting in the loss. As Iowa falls to 8-1, the Hawkeyes also dipped down in the latest AP Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Poll.

Iowa slid four spots to No. 21 in the latest edition. Meanwhile, Tennessee (7-0) made its season debut at No. 19. It ended the Volunteers’ longest drought in the 48-year history of the womenā€™s basketball poll.

Tennessee had not been ranked since Nov. 27, 2023, a span of 22 polls. Since the rankings began in 1976, Tennessee has been in the Top 25 in 779 of 870 total weeks (89.5%).

The new top five features No. 1 UCLA, No. 2 UConn, No. 3 South Carolina, No. 4 LSU and No. 5 USC.

Michigan State was this week’s biggest riser, climbing seven spots to No. 17.

Here’s the latest AP Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Poll in full.

Rank Team Record Points
1 UCLA 9-0 791 (24)
2 UConn 8-0 769 (8)
3 South Carolina 9-1 742
4 LSU 11-0 652
5 USC 8-1 628
6 Texas 8-1 621
7 Maryland 10-0 608
8 Notre Dame 7-2 607
9 Duke 9-2 533
10 Oklahoma 8-1 517
11 Ohio State 8-0 459
12 TCU 9-1 447
13 Kansas State 10-1 427
14 North Carolina 9-1 419
15 West Virginia 9-1 376
16 Kentucky 7-1 296
17 Michigan State 9-0 193
18 Iowa State 8-2 190
19 Tennessee 7-0 179
20 Michigan 8-1 166
21 Iowa 8-1 125
22 Ole Miss 6-3 104
22 North Carolina State 6-3 104
24 Nebraska 8-1 99
25 Georgia Tech 9-0 92

Others receiving votes:

Alabama 73, Illinois 69, California 23, Stanford 18, Vanderbilt 15, Utah 14, Louisville 9, Richmond 8, South Dakota St. 8, Creighton 5, Oklahoma St. 4, Harvard 3, Florida St. 3, Texas Tech 3, Baylor 1.

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Three stars from Iowa women’s basketball’s loss vs. Tennessee

Three stars from Iowa’s loss over the weekend vs. Tennessee.

The 20th-ranked Iowa women’s basketball (8-1) team suffered their first loss of the season in Saturday’s Shark Beauty Champions Classic game vs. Tennessee (7-0) from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Tennessee used a closing 16-3 run en route to a 78-68 win over Iowa.

As a team, the Hawkeyes shot 46.0% from the field, 21.4% from deep and 82.6% from the charity stripe. But, Iowa’s offense went dry in the game’s final 4:38, killing the Hawkeyes‘ hopes.

In addition to the tragic scoring drought that ended the game, Iowa’s offense turned the ball over 30 times, which Tennessee converted into 42 points.

On defense, Iowa only mustered nine forced turnovers, including four steals and two blocks on the night. The Hawkeyes did hold Tennessee to 39.0% shooting from the floor.

Although the trip to Brooklyn did not end as Iowa had hoped, here are three stars that shined for the Hawkeyes on Saturday.

Lucy Olsen

Senior guard Lucy Olsen returned from her two-game injury absence to lead Iowa in scoring on Saturday with 23 points on 7-for-14 (50%) shooting from the floor and 9-for-9 (100%) from the free throw line. Olsen also added five assists and three rebounds to round out her 33 minutes of playing time.

While the Hawkeyes ultimately fell short, the ability for Olsen to quickly bounce back into a reliable scoring threat off an injury absence was crucial for Iowa’s effort against the Lady Volunteers.

Addison O’Grady

Senior center Addison O’Grady had another solid performance Saturday, finishing with 17 points on 8-for-11 (72.7%) shooting from the floor and 1-for-2 from the charity stripe. She also added a team-leading 11 rebounds to go along with two assists and one block in her 29 minutes of game time.

Despite losing the points in the paint battle to Tennessee by a 44-34 margin, O’Grady’s dominance down low remains a vital avenue of scoring production for the Hawkeyes no matter the opponent.

Hannah Stuelke

Junior forward Hannah Stuelke had a quiet night offensively by only scoring eight points off a dastardly 1-for-8 (12.5%) shooting from the field, but she made up for the poor shooting performance by converting on 6-of-8 (75%) free throws.

Stuelke also added 10 rebounds, five assists, and one steal in 37 minutes of playing time.

While Stuelke has certainly had better shooting days, her relentless effort to collect rebounds and dish out assists was impactful for the Hawkeyes on Saturday as they attempted to match the scoring pace of Tennesssee.

Next up for the Hawkeyes will be the annual Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Classic vs. No. 19 Iowa State from Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 11.

Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT and will air on FS1. As always, the game will also be available through the radio on the Hawkeyes Radio Network.

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