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The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan
The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

Iowa women’s basketball outlasts Northwestern, 85-80

The Hawkeyes faced resistance from the Wildcats’ unlikely three-point shooting barrage, but timely buckets helped secure the victory.
Jack Birmingham, Sports Reporter
January 28, 2025
Emma Calabro
Hannah Stuelke shoots a layup during a women’s basketball game between Iowa and Northwestern at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2024. The Hawkeyes defeated the Wildcats 85-80.

The Iowa women’s basketball team outlasted Northwestern, 85-80, inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Tuesday night. 

Despite an unlikely hot shooting night from the Wildcats, the Hawkeyes were able to hold their own and pick up their second consecutive win, improving to 14-7 overall and 4-6 in Big Ten play. 

Third-year forward Hannah Stuelke led the way with 26 points, six rebounds, and two assists. Guards Lucy Olsen and Aaliyah Guyton followed close behind with 16 and 15 points, respectively. 

“I am proud of our team,” Iowa first-year head coach Jan Jensen said after the game. “I’m thankful. And whatever is on the front of that jersey, to me, just says, ‘tough opponent. Big Ten, one of the best conferences in the country.’”

First Half

Northwestern, fresh off a six-game losing streak, took the court by storm, heating up from beyond the arc right off the bat to grab easy points. With Iowa trailing 9-3 early, Olsen took matters into her own hands, nabbing a Wildcat pass and driving it in for the layup. 

“I’ve always felt like I have been preparing myself to get called off the bench,” Guyton said. 

Northwestern shot from an 80 percent clip from downtown in the period, but that couldn’t hold the Hawkeyes back for much longer.

The last two minutes of the first quarter saw a 10-3 Iowa run, kicking off with a layup from fourth-year Addison O’Grady and ending with Guyton, who chipped in a three for good measure to end the quarter with a 23-20 Wildcat lead.

While Northwestern began the second quarter with a 4-0 run, the Hawkeyes slowly began to heat up, tying the game up at 27 each with an and-one from Stuelke, who gave Iowa their lead back with a layup moments later.

The game remained close through the entirety of the second quarter, where back-to-back layups from Stuelke and Guyton forced a Wildcat timeout and brought the crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on its feet. 

Even as the turnover issue began to rear its head, the Hawkeyes committing 10 in the first half alone, Iowa fought hard to keep their composure and went into the locker room with a narrow 41-38 lead. 

Second Half 

The Hawkeyes began to heat up from the three-point line to start the second half, with fourth-years Sydney Affolter and Kylie Feuerbach, as well as Guyton, all scoring from deep in less than five minutes of action.  

With neither Iowa or Northwestern backing down, the gap between the two teams remained small as the time ticked away. While the Hawkeyes pulled away at multiple intervals, taking a significant chunk of time off the clock in the process, the Wildcats kept themselves in the fight, scoring six points in less than a minute to bring themselves within two of what had once been an eight-point Iowa lead.

As the third quarter closed out, a final three-point effort from Guyton was enough to pad the Hawkeye lead to six going into the game’s final quarter.

Clinging onto a slight lead with just over five minutes to play, the Hawkeyes embarked on an 8-2 run to reach a lead of 12, their highest of the night, keeping Northwestern scoreless for nearly two minutes in the process. While the Wildcats played with fervor to keep the game close, time was on Iowa’s side. 

A last-minute comeback run by Northwestern led to an exhilarating final minute of play, but the Hawkeyes stayed on top long enough to outlast the visiting Wildcats. Stuelke closed out the night with a pair of free-throws, and Iowa escaped with a messy, but much-needed home victory. 

“That’s all I worked on this summer with my injury,” Stuelke said after the game. “I just am more confident in myself, and my teammates are confident in me.”

Up next

Iowa returns home on Sunday afternoon for a tough contest with the No. 4 USC Trojans, who sit at 18-1 overall and a perfect 8-0 in conference play. 

Legendary guard Caitlin Clark is set to have her jersey retired following the game, which is slated to receive coverage from Fox and the Hawkeye Radio Network. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. 

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