Tag: Sydney Affolter

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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Sydney Affolter ahead of schedule in injury return, could play in opener

Sydney Affolter is ahead of schedule.

Iowa head women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen confirmed that senior guard Sydney Affolter is ahead of schedule in her injury return.

Iowa announced in early October that Affolter would be sidelined until early November after undergoing a successful surgical scope of her knee.

Now, Jensen and Iowa are preparing for the opportunity that Affolter might play tonight versus Northern Illinois in the Hawkeyes’ season opener.

“We’re so thankful that she’s ahead of schedule and that’s not surprising. I don’t know if I’ve really coached anyone as tough. Certainly, she’s probably in the Megan Gustafson category, right. Kate Martin-esque. She didn’t really want to sit out, and then when she had to, it was clear before any procedure happened that she would be back earlier.

“And she is. We’re going to work her in slowly. Hopefully we can get a few more reps in practice today and a few more tomorrow. It would be wonderful if she could see some minutes on Wednesday, because then after Wednesday as you all know, we really start to tick up. Really happy with her progress and just so fit and really fit in her mind, too, which is great,” Jensen said of Affolter’s recovery on Monday.

Affolter averaged 8.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game last season. The 5-foot-11 guard shot 55.2% from the floor, 41.4% from 3-point range and 83.0% from the free throw line.

Alongside senior guard Lucy Olsen and junior forward Hannah Stuelke, Affolter is expected to be one of the Hawkeyes key offensive cogs.

Affolter discussed what her journey back has been like with the Des Moines Register.

“It’s been hard sitting out,” Affolter said. “I want to be out there competing with them, but I know it’s a very long season. It’s only been about six weeks, so I’ve just got to play it by ear and see how my knee feels. But hopefully quite soon. I’ve been doing a lot of cardio outside of basketball and strength training to get my muscles back to where they were. Then finally getting back into basketball these last two weeks.

“… I’m very glad I got it done. It was definitely needed. But just working to get my muscles back up to where they were and getting back up to speed and on the floor is my main concern. It’s a very long season. There are a lot of games to be played. I don’t want to push it too early for it not to be completely 100 percent in January. Rehab has been going great, and I think just really trusting the process and really listening to myself and how my body feels.”

Iowa tips off its season on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. CT against Northern Illinois (1-0).

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Iowa women’s basketball announces injury to Sydney Affolter

Iowa announced on Tuesday that guard Sydney Affolter will be sidelined until early November.

Iowa women’s basketball will be without one of its stars until early November.

Iowa head women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen announced on Tuesday that senior guard Sydney Affolter will be sidelined until early November after undergoing a successful surgical scope of her knee at the University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center.

“This is an unfortunate setback for Sydney, but she will work hard during her rehab and is expected to make a full recovery. She has the support of her teammates and coaches, and we look forward to having a healthy Sydney back when she is given clearance from our medical staff,” Jensen said in a statement.

Affolter is expected to be one of the key cogs on an Iowa team that is replacing Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall.

The 5-foot-11 guard stepped into the starting lineup down the stretch after guard Molly Davis was lost for the season. Affolter elevated her game for Iowa to help the Hawkeyes reach a second straight Final Four and national championship game.

The Chicago native averaged 8.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game last season in 24.9 minutes per game. Affolter shot 55.2% from the field, 41.4% from 3-point distance and 83.0% from the free throw line.

The Marist High School product had 15 double-figure scoring games last season, including in seven of the final nine games of the season.

Ultimately, a successful knee surgery before the season is a good thing for the Hawkeyes. Affolter should return for or near Iowa’s season opener on Wednesday, Nov. 6 versus Northern Illinois.

The Hawkeyes will then square off against Virginia Tech on Sunday, Nov. 10 in the Ally Tipoff in Charlotte, N.C. Iowa also has an exhibition date on Wednesday, Oct. 30 against Missouri Western.

Iowa saw two players named to the preseason All-Big Ten team. Graduate guard Lucy Olsen and junior forward Hannah Stuelke earned those preseason honors.

Olsen, a transfer from Villanova, was the nation’s third-leading scorer last season. The 5-foot-10 senior guard averaged 23.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 43.8% from the floor, 29.4% from beyond the arc and 80.7% from the charity stripe.

Meanwhile, Stuelke averaged 14.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 62.7% from the field and 62.9% from the free throw line.

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Women’s NCAA Championship Game: Iowa vs. South Carolina odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Sunday’s Iowa vs. South Carolina odds and lines, with college basketball expert picks, predictions and best bets.

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The Iowa Hawkeyes (34-4) and South Carolina Gamecocks (37-0) meet Sunday in the National Championship Game of the Women’s NCAA Tournament. Tip-off from Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland is slated for 3 p.m. ET (ABC/ESPN). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Iowa vs. South Carolina odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.

It will be a rematch of a 2023 semifinal as a pair of No. 1 seeds clash in Cleveland.

Iowa advanced after a 71-69 win against No. 3 seed UConn Friday. Things got off to a slow start, but the Hawkeyes came on late. However, there was a controversial offensive foul on the Huskies with 3.9 seconds left with them trailing 70-69. Iowa got the ball back and it hung on for the win, although a late G Caitlin Clark missed free throw helped UConn grab the cover as a 2.5-point underdog.

The Hawkeyes shot just 45.8% (27-of-59) from the field, and just 28.0% (7-of-25) from behind the 3-point line, while turning it over 16 times. Iowa finished with a 37-to-29 rebounding margin as G Sydney Affolter, Clark and G Kate Martin combined for 24 of those boards. Meanwhile, it was F Hannah Stuelke who led the team with 23 points as Clark scored 21 points while struggling from behind the 3-point line (3-for-11).

Iowa has managed a 2-3 against the spread (ATS) mark in its 5 NCAA Tournament games, while the Under holds a slight 3-2 edge.

South Carolina rolled to a 78-59 semifinal win over 11th-seeded NC State Friday. The Gamecocks actually led just 32-31 at halftime, but the Gamecocks used a 29-6 run in the 3rd quarter to pull away for the win and cover as 11.5-point favorites, while the Under (139.5) hung on.

The Gamecocks were led by C Kamilla Cardoso, who went for a game-high 22 points with 11 rebounds and 2 blocked shots, while shooting an efficient 10-of-12 from the field. G Raven Johnson chipped in with 13 points, while G Te-Hina Paopao ended up with 10 points and a team-best 6 assists.

Like Iowa, South Carolina is 2-3 ATS in the Tournament, while the Under is 4-1 in the 5 outings.

South Carolina is No. 1 and Iowa is No. 2 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

Iowa vs. South Carolina odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook’s; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 6:08 p.m. ET.

  • Moneyline (ML): Iowa +220 (bet $100 to win $220) | South Carolina -275 (bet $275 to win $100)
  • Against the spread: Iowa +6.5 (-110) | South Carolina -6.5 (-110)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 159.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

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Iowa vs. South Carolina and predictions

Prediction

South Carolina 81, Iowa 76

Moneyline

South Carolina (-275) will cost 2.75 times your potential return, and that’s way too much risk for not enough reward.

The unbeaten Gamecocks should get the job done in this revenge game after being bounced by the Hawkeyes last season in the Final Four, but I’m not willing and can’t suggest backing a -275 favorite in any sport.

However, expect Iowa (+220) to put up a good fight. This should be an epic cap for one of the most memorable seasons in women’s basketball history.

AVOID a moneyline play unless you’re willing to take a chance with Clark and the Hawkeyes.

Against the spread

IOWA +6.5 (-110) is worth backing, catching more than 3 buckets. Clark and Co. will be a tremendous test for unbeaten South Carolina.

Iowa stunned South Carolina last season 77-73 in the Final Four in Dallas, snapping a 42-game win streak for the Gamecocks. Clark scored 41 points to set a Final Four record, and you can bet she’ll be front and center for the Hawkeyes Sunday, especially after an ugly shooting performance in the semifinal against UConn.

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Over/Under

UNDER 159.5 (-110) is the lean in this title game.

The Under has cashed in 4 of 5 NCAA Tournament games for South Carolina, while cashing in 3 of 5 outings for Iowa. The total almost went low in the UConn game, too, but a late free throw by Clark flipped the total in favor of the Over by a half-point.

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March Madness: Final Four strategy for the $2.5K USA TODAY’s Women’s NCAA Tournament Survivor Pool

Win $2.5K in the Women’s NCAA Tournament Survivor Pool: Final Four pick and prediction.

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The 2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament is on to the Final Four, starting Friday from Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Only 88 entries in USA TODAY’s Women’s NCAA Tournament Survivor Pool contest remain out of the 3,754 who signed up.

The semifinals are Friday on ESPN with the winners facing off in Sunday’s championship at 3 p.m. ET (ABC/ESPN).

NC State (31-6) meets tournament favorite South Carolina (36-0) in the early-window game at 7 p.m. ET. The nightcap will feature UConn (33-5) and G Paige Bueckers against Iowa (33-4) and G Caitlin Clark at an approximate tip time of 9 p.m. ET.

Monday night was one for the ages, as all eyes were on women’s basketball, especially for the battle between LSU and Iowa. Clark was on another plane, draining 9 3-pointers in an amazing shooting performance, as she continues to re-write the record books. Clark ended up with 41 points in 40 minutes, while also doling out 12 assists with 7 rebounds, 2 steals and a blocked shot as the Hawkeyes eliminated the defending champion Tigers 94-87.

Clark and the Hawkeyes will have their hands full with Bueckers and the Huskies, who showed freshman phenom G Juju Watkins and USC, the No. 1 seed in their region, the door in an exciting Elite 8 matchup.

As for the USA TODAY’s Women’s NCAA Tournament Survivor Pool contest, I made 3 correct picks in the 1st round for 12 points but stumbled in the 2nd round and was eliminated. No. 4 seed Indiana won for me, but my other pick of 4th-seeded Kansas State lost to 5th-seeded Colorado.

Despite the loss, I still offered picks for the Sweet 16, hoping to assist you on your chase for the $2.5K 1st-place prize. Only having to make 1 pick this round, I rebounded with LSU (3 points) upsetting UCLA Saturday in a 78-69 thriller. For what it’s worth, I won with UConn (3 points) in the Elite 8 against USC.

As an employee, I wasn’t eligible to win this contest, but there’s no rule against me helping you.

A rules reminder: Remaining entries are required to pick 1 team in the Final Four and then the National Championship Game winner — if you still have an eligible team to select.

Points are earned equal to your winning teams’ seeds.

Here is my strategy of which team to pick for the Final Four.

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Final Four pick

PICK 1: IOWA HAWKEYES (33-4)

Who they play: UConn Huskies (33-5)

When: Friday, 9 p.m. ET (ESPN)

I’ve already picked NC State and UConn in this Tournament, so I am left with just 2 top seeds. There just aren’t a lot of points available in the Final Four. If you need points, you might want to roll the dice on a No. 3 seed if you haven’t picked that team yet.

Iowa-UConn is going to be a fun game. Clark vs. Bueckers will get all of the headlines, but here’s UConn coach Geno Auriemma leading another team to the precipice of a national title, while the Hawkeyes are trying to get back to the championship game — they lost to LSU in the title game a year ago.

UConn was impressive against USC, shooting 48.3% (28-of-58) from the field, including 46.7% (7-of-15) from behind the 3-point line in an 80-73 victory.

If there is an Achilles’ heel, the Huskies managed to go just 63.0% (17-of-27) from the free-throw line, and that simply won’t do in a close game. Plus, UConn was minus-2 in the turnover department, but made up for it by outrebounding USC 42-41, while dishing out 7 more assists to improve to assist-to-turnover ratio.

Along with Clark scoring 41 against LSU, the Hawkeyes were 46.4% (32-of-69) from the field, hitting 41.9% (13-of-31) from behind the 3-point line. G Sydney Affolter hit a pair of triples, and ended up with 16 points and 5 rebounds, while G Kate Martin was good for 21 points and 6 rebounds with 2 steals and a perfect 4-of-4 night from the free-throw line.

Friday against UConn won’t be easy for Iowa, but the Hawkeyes should get back to the title game, setting up a potential classic against South Carolina — as long as the Gamecocks remain undefeated and push past upstart NC State.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:
Alabama / Arkansas / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / Florida / Georgia / Iowa / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / USC / Wisconsin /
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Sydney Affolter narrates Iowa Hawkeyes’ Pompeii field trip

The Iowa Hawkeyes visited one of the world’s most historic places. Iowa guard Sydney Affolter narrated the Hawks’ field trip to Pompeii.

The Iowa women’s basketball team took the nation by storm last year, reaching the NCAA Tournament’s national championship game. Now, the Hawkeyes are looking to expand their reach to the rest of the world!

This week, the team embarked on their foreign tour with their first stop in Italy. With Hannah Stuelke serving as Hawkeye fans’ tour guide, Iowa began their festivities in Naples, Italy.

On Saturday, ahead of their first matchup against Team Slammers, the squad tried their hand at preparing some authentic Napoli cuisine. This definitely gives an entirely new meaning to the phrase, “Let Caitlin Clark cook!”

Also during their stay in Naples, the team took a trip to the ruins of the ancient city of Pompeii. For those who don’t know, Pompeii was a city in Ancient Rome located just south of Naples. It was an extremely desirous city due to its location on the Gulf of Naples.

The city was famously destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 C.E. The city was buried, and the same ash that destroyed Pompeii actually preserved the city. It is one of the most excavated sites in the world, as well as one of the most visited by tourists.

Junior guard Sydney Affolter captured the Hawkeyes’ entire experience in a video on social media which you can watch below.

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Iowa women’s basketball, Caitlin Clark roll in NCAA Tournament opener over Illinois State

Caitlin Clark dropped 27 points in front of a sellout crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena as second-seeded Iowa rolled Illinois State, 98-58.

Illinois State jumped out to a quick 9-4 lead about four minutes into Friday afternoon’s NCAA Tournament opener after the Redbirds’ Juliunn Redmond hit a jumper. Second-seeded Iowa (24-7, 14-4 Big Ten) didn’t waste any more time after that bringing the sellout Carver-Hawkeye Arena crowd to its feet.

Sophomore guard and national player of the year candidate Caitlin Clark connected on her first of two made 3-pointers on the afternoon to pull Iowa back within a bucket, and, with that Clark make, the Hawkeyes were off and running. Illinois State (19-14) answered right back with a 3-pointer from Mary Crompton, but Iowa junior guard Gabbie Marshall drilled a trey of her own on the next trip down the floor.

Then, Hawkeye junior guard McKenna Warnock tied the game with a layup, Marshall gave Iowa its second lead of the afternoon on a 3-pointer with 3:41 remaining in the first quarter and the Hawkeyes ended the game’s opening quarter on a 17-6 scoring run.

After outscoring Illinois State 22-14 in the second quarter, the Hawkeyes really came alive in the third quarter. Iowa canned 8-of-10 3-point tries to balloon the lead to 74-47. When the 98-58 Hawkeyes’ victory was all said and done, Iowa had registered its most points in an NCAA Tournament game in program history.

The Hawkeyes shot 60 percent from the floor and 46.2 percent from 3-point range. Iowa also hit 20-of-21 from the free throw line to record the Hawkeyes’ best percentage finish from the charity stripe in an NCAA Tournament game.

Clark had another banner day, finishing with 27 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. It was the West Des Moine product’s 25th career double-double and 16th of the season. Iowa senior forward Monika Czinano added 18 points and was a perfect 6-for-6 shooting from the floor to go with a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Marshall and senior guard Tomi Taiwo each chipped in 13 points.

“I mean, obviously very excited about this game. Almost scoring 100 points out here tonight. We shot the ball well from all areas. Two, three, free throw line. I think we had 23 assists on 30, or 25 assists on 33 baskets. I love that style. Really sharing the ball really well. Only have 11 turnovers today, so that was great to see. I thought it was a really good game, especially with a couple weeks off here. I was worried about that rust, and I don’t think we really showed any signs of that today.

“But I really want to thank the crowd that came out. I mean, our fans were amazing. Our fans, you know, they braved parking problems today, they braved rain, and they still got here. We are so appreciative of them. But just come again on Sunday. It’s going to be easier. No hospital traffic and no rain let’s hope,” Iowa head women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder said.

Iowa converted 13 Illinois State turnovers into 23 points and also outscored the Redbirds 24-2 in fast break points.

“Yeah, I think transition is always our best offense. We want to get to that no matter what. Obviously defending in transition is an area that we can still improve and get better at so it’s great to hear that we only gave up two points in transition. But yeah, I think that’s our best offense.

“I thought we got a lot of great contributions off the bench. Obviously, Tomi shot the ball well, Addy came in, so that always helps as well. But yeah, overall our transition offense when we’re doing it the way we should and when we get stops on the defensive end, that just leads to our transition offense. Hands down our best offense and that’s what we like to get to the most,” Clark said.

Iowa advances in the Greensboro region and will meet No. 10 seed Creighton in the second round after the Bluejays beat Colorado, 84-74. The Hawkeyes play at home inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday versus Creighton.

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