The Iowa women’s basketball team kicked off its 2024-25 campaign with a 91-73 victory over Northern Illinois at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Wednesday.
Iowa guard Lucy Olsen, in her first official game with the Black and Gold upon transferring from Villanova, led the Hawkeyes with 19 points, seven assists, and four rebounds. And guard Kylie Feuerbach logged an all-around performance of 14 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and six steals on a team-high 22 plus-minus.
Guard Teagan Mallegni matched Feuerbach with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field. But the big three’s performance did not entirely overshadow what was a slow start with some growing pains as the team continues to mesh early in the season.
“I thought the whole thing, we had some [good] moments, but we just really lacked a lot of consistency,” Iowa head coach Jan Jensen said postgame. “But when we really worked our offense and we did that consistently, we got a few runs defensively … Then we were pretty good.”
1Q
The Hawkeyes scored their first basket nine seconds into the game with Kylie Feuerbach’s three off the Hannah Stuelke assist, followed by two-straight scoring possessions by Northern Illinois.
After falling to an early 4-3 deficit, Iowa recorded four-straight offensive rebounds before Taylor McCabe hit the kickout three — Hawkeye fans roaring upon seeing the hustle sequence.
The Huskies pushed to a 7-0 run over a three-minute span, though, as Iowa missed nine-straight shots. The run was put to a halt as Feuerbach’s steal on one end of the floor led to an easy Teagan Mallegni layup on the other end to take the 12-11 lead with 2:26 remaining in the first quarter.
“I think this is a game where you can get internally frustrated because you feel like you should do this better, that better, and all those kinds of things,” Jensen said. “It’s probably good that this game still afforded us to not look so great at times.”
The Hawkeyes shot 6-for-20 through the first 10 minutes but still held the 15-14 lead through their pestering defense.
“You got to fight through the hard times and figure it out,” Olsen said. “Not everything is going to go exactly how you want it.”
2Q
Northern Illinois’ Alecia Doyle knocked down a pair of free throws to get the quarter started for the Huskies. But Iowa responded with a swift 10-0 run — a Taylor Stremlow layup, a Lucy Olsen catch-and-shoot three, Ava Heiden’s fast-break bucket at the cup, and Feuerbach’s pull-up three — to take the 25-16 lead three minutes into the second quarter.
KYLI3.#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/0v8m8G8DD6
— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) November 7, 2024
The two opponents traded buckets over the next four minutes before Feuerbach’s third three of the game and an easy layup off the backcourt steal pushed the momentum back in the Hawkeyes’ favor.
“I have great girls around me — they’re all very uplifting,” Feuerbach said. “Just staying consistent in the gym and getting the extra shops will help me stay confident.”
The Hawkeyes’ five-of-six shooting the rest of the quarter was countered by Northern Illinois’ four made threes and four points at the stripe, cutting the Iowa lead down by six. Still, the Hawkeyes entered the break with a comfortable 45-34 lead.
3Q
Olsen led a 8-2 scoring run over the first 3:02 of the third quarter with three buckets within 15 feet of the basket and a dime to center Addison O’Grady inside for the contested layup.
Mallegni, O’Grady, McCabe, Stuelke, and Olsen took turns putting points on board as Iowa took a 20-point lead for the first time in the contest. Feuerbach’s two steals during the five-minute stretch gave her six steals on the night.
Teamwork makes the dream work 👏#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/X2VqMbD12R
— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) November 7, 2024
The Hawkeyes’ strong third quarter was capped off with a tight backdoor pass from Stremlow to Feuerbach — then the slick pass around the defender from Feuerbach to Mallegni for Iowa’s ninth bucket inside the arc in the third quarter.
Iowa led, 72-52, heading into the final period.
“She has some swag to her,” Olsen said of Stremlow. “She’s not afraid to do anything … I think she came in and did a really good job stepping up both offensively and defensively.”
4Q
Stuelke recorded just four points before she tallied four more with consecutive shots at the cup in the start of the fourth quarter. Olsen’s layup increased her point total to 19 on the night, and Feuerbach’s fourth three put her runner-up to Olsen with 14.
The bigs in Stuelke, O’Grady, Heiden, and A.J. Ediger off of the bench all added to their point totals with buckets inside as the Hawkeyes cruised to the 91-73 home victory.
“I feel like [we’re] just celebrating each other,” Olsen said. “We’re all celebrating in a timeout with everyone else celebrating around you. It’s a really cool feeling. I don’t know if I can put it into words.”
Up next
The 1-0 Hawkeyes return to Charlotte, North Carolina, on Sunday for the second-straight year in a rematch with the Virginia Tech Hokies at the Ally Tipoff.
The Hokies look a bit different this year, star guard Georgia Amoore transferring to Kentucky this offseason. They’re 1-0 this season after a 99-57 win over UNC Wilmington on Monday.