CHAMPAIGN, IL – The Iowa women’s basketball team came up short on the road against Illinois, falling in a 62-57 defensive slugfest on Thursday night. While the Hawkeyes held a small lead at halftime, a lengthy scoring drought and persistent turnover issues proved to be Iowa’s downfall.
Despite the loss, third-year forward Hannah Stuelke posted a double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds, while fourth-year guard Lucy Olsen followed with 16 points on 7-of-16 shooting. The defeat drops the Hawkeyes to 12-4 overall and 2-3 in Big Ten play.
“I do believe in this team,” Iowa head coach Jan Jensen said following the game. “We’ve seen the glimpses early. I think the teams are a little better, I think the pressure is probably a little greater with the Big Ten lens on. I think that we’re freezing a little bit in the harder moments, and that’s what I was disappointed in today.”
First Half
Iowa maintained some breathing room for most of the first half. Olsen led the way with 10 points, including two buckets from behind the arc. The game also marked the first career start for first-year guard Aaliyah Guyton, who promptly scored a driving layup early in the first quarter, but it would end up being her only points of the game.
Tied at 14 as the first quarter came to a close, fourth-year Kylie Feuerbach broke the seal with a pair of free throws to give Iowa a slight edge after one.
In the second quarter, trailing 18-16, fourth-year Sydney Affolter found herself with possession just behind the arc. Facing pressure from the Illinois defense, Affolter powered a three through the net to put Iowa back on top.
The Hawkeyes continued to roll from there, jumping out to a 29-20 lead on a flashy layup from first-year guard Taylor Stremlow. But the Illini wouldn’t go down easily at home, scoring the final seven points of the period to re-energize the crowd at State Farm Center.
Turnovers continued to be a problem for the Hawkeyes, as they committed nine in the first half alone, with some of those leading to easy Illinois buckets on the other end. All of these factors led to a slim 29-27 Iowa lead at the break.
Second Half
The Illini came out fast and fierce to start the second half, nailing a three and a layup to gain a narrow lead of their own. The Hawkeyes endured a brutal eight-minute scoring drought, allowing Illinois to build its lead.
Iowa was able to stay in the game thanks to some intense defense and strong mid-range scoring from Olsen, but the Illini sharpshooters began to heat up from distance, causing the Hawkeyes to slip into a deeper hole.
Both teams began to turn up the defensive pressure late in the third, as numerous fouls were called on both ends of the floor. A three from third-year Taylor McCabe brought the Hawks to within four, and the contest turned into a rock fight from there. Stuelke ended the quarter with a crucial and-one, slicing the Illinois lead to just 46-45 after three periods of play.
McCabe’s second triple early in the fourth evened the score at 50 apiece, but the Illini held a slight edge for most of the frame. Illinois hit some big shots from downtown, but it was Iowa’s poor free-throw shooting that proved to be a huge difference in the outcome.
Trailing by three with 20 seconds to go, fourth-year Sydney Affolter missed a pair of free throws, but the rebound fell right back in Iowa’s hands. Despite the gifted opportunity, Olsen committed a crucial turnover on the near sideline, giving the ball back to Illinois.
The Illini converted from the charity stripe to seal the game, handing Iowa another difficult loss.
Up next
Iowa returns to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Jan. 12 for a matchup against the Indiana Hoosiers, who are 11-4 on the season and 3-1 in Big Ten play. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. local time with coverage from Peacock and the Hawkeye Radio Network.