The No. 23 Iowa women’s basketball team began 2025 on a high note with an 80-66 road win over Penn State on Wednesday. With the win, the Hawkeyes improve to 12-2 overall and 2-1 in Big Ten play.
Taylor McCabe scored 17 points on five threes off the bench to lead Iowa to the victory. Addison O’Grady contributed 16 points on a perfect 8-of-8 shooting from the floor, followed by Hannah Stuelke’s double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.
First Half
O’Grady got the day started for Iowa with a hook shot in the paint off the Penn State turnover. The Nittany Lions scored on their next three trips, but O’Grady and Hannah Stuelke cancelled those field goals out with buckets of their own.
Penn State rode a 9-0 run over three minutes before Stuelke’s second-chance layup broke the streak. The two teams traded buckets the rest of the way, with Iowa continuing to play through its bigs in Stuelke and first-year Ava Heiden and the occasional Taylor McCabe three-pointer.
The Hawkeyes trailed, 24-15, after 10 minutes of play.
McCabe knocked in her second three of the game to open the second quarter, and the Iowa defense picked up the pace, holding Penn State scoreless for the first two minutes of the period. O’ Grady and fourth-year guard Sydney Affolter put together a swift 6-0 Hawkeye run, and the lead was down to just two.
Penn State’s Gracie Merkle snapped Iowa’s run with a bucket inside, followed by a pair of McCabe free throws and Stuelke’s fourth bucket to knot the score at 26 apiece. Lucy Olsen’s free throw gave the Hawkeyes their first lead since it was 2-0.
A pair of threes from Olsen and first-year Aaliyah Guyton pushed the Iowa lead to five. After O’Grady’s made layup at the 3:24 mark, the Hawkeyes were held scoreless the rest of the quarter until Olsen’s pair of free throws with four seconds left in the half.
Even still, Iowa went into the break with a 38-26 lead.
Second Half
Penn State’s Gabby Elliot knocked in a three-pointer to open the second half scoring. A couple of scoreless possessions by both teams went by before O’Grady’s consecutive buckets inside gave Iowa a three-point advantage.
The Hawkeyes went on a 8-2 run thanks to another inside score from Stuelke and consecutive threes by McCabe to take a 50-43 lead with 3:51 left in the third quarter. The Nittany Lions responded with a 9-2 run of their own over the next two minutes to knot the score at 52 apiece.
Both teams scored three points the rest of the way and entered the fourth quarter tied at 55.
Teagan Mallegni put herself on the board with a driving layup, followed by an Affolter three-pointer to give Iowa an early five point edge. Penn State fought back and cut the Hawkeye lead down to two, but the inside presence of O’ Grady and Mallegni helped push the lead to 68-61 with 5:35 to go.
Iowa extended that run to 10-0 following layups by Heiden and Affolter. Penn State’s Moriah Murray broke the scoreless run with a jumper inside, but Olsen’s consecutive buckets inside the arc and Heiden’s fastbreak layup essentially ended the Lions’ comeback hopes.
The Hawkeyes cruised the rest of the way to secure the victory.
Up Next
Iowa will be back home on Jan. 5 to host No. 8 Maryland, who is currently 12-0 on the season. The Terrapins own impressive victories over then-No. 11 Duke and then-No. 19 Michigan State, and will face Rutgers on Thursday ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Hawkeyes.
Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. on Big Ten Network.