The Iowa women’s basketball team snapped a five-game losing skid over Washington on Wednesday night, seizing an 85-61 road triumph over the Huskies. The Hawkeyes now improve to 13-7 overall and 3-6 in Big Ten play.
Fourth-year Lucy Olsen led the Hawkeyes in scoring with 20 points on 8-of-8 shooting from the floor. Olsen’s performance was encouraging considering her recent struggles in losses to Oregon and Nebraska. Addison O’Grady also had an impressive night, collecting 17 points, 16 of which came in the paint.
First Half
The Hawkeyes entered the contest desperate for a victory and came out of the gate fired up and ready to play. While the Huskies took an early 7-2 lead, the Hawkeyes quickly tipped the scales in their favor.
A key part of Iowa’s offense was O’Grady, who, at a 60 percent clip in the first quarter alone, notched 12 points for the Hawkeyes before the start of the second quarter.
Olsen, held to an average of just over 12 points per game in Iowa’s last five games, all losses, including just four points against Oregon, shot a perfect 100 percent from the field, including one shot from downtown, to add seven points to the Hawkeye total.
Halfway through the first quarter, first-year Ava Heiden leaped up to block a jumper from Washington’s offense to force the turnover, and fed the ball down court to Olsen, who closed the deal with a one-handed layup.
The block
The bucket@ava_heiden x @LucyOlsenbball #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/BYosxuBYdd
— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) January 23, 2025
Iowa finished the first quarter with a 26-14 lead and never looked back, continuing to take the court by storm to close out the first half. The Hawkeyes once again outscored the Huskies in the second quarter, 24-12, growing their lead to 50-26 going into the locker room.
While O’Grady dominated the first quarter in the paint, the second quarter saw Iowa’s deep shooters start to heat up. 18 of the Hawkeyes’ 24 points in the quarter came from behind the arc, including six apiece from Olsen and third-year Taylor McCabe.
Iowa led Washington in most of the key areas of the first half, shooting 74 percent from the floor and 100 percent from downtown. The Hawkeyes also won the rebounding battle, 18-10, and held themselves to a modest 10 turnovers.
Second Half
Iowa did what they had failed to do against teams like Nebraska and Oregon this season, and kept their momentum going to the final buzzer to close the game out on an emphatic note. Olsen reached 20 points in the third quarter, more than her last two games combined, both of which had seen the Hawkeyes blow double-digit leads over Big Ten foes.
Leading by 28 in the third quarter, the fourth-year took it inside the arc following a pass from fourth-year Sydney Affolter, and got Iowa fans on their feet with her signature jumper to extend the Hawkeyes’ lead to 30.
The midrange
@LucyOlsenbball x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/hWD3kzpaHy
— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) January 23, 2025
The third quarter lacked the three-point prowess that had given Iowa the edge in the first half, but featured more versatility from the Hawkeyes. Seven athletes cracked the scoresheet for Iowa, including three buckets from freshmen, resulting in a sizable 71-39 lead after three.
The fourth quarter was rather uneventful, but the Hawkeyes withstood a quiet push from the Husky defense and coasted to a victory. The Iowa players and coaches, whose faces have often featured gloomy looks lately, could finally crack a smile and celebrate a big win.
Up next
Iowa returns to Carver-Hawkeye Arena for its next game on Tuesday, Jan. 28, to be played against Northwestern. The contest will receive coverage from both the Big Ten Network and the Hawkeye Radio Network.