The Iowa women’s basketball team’s dominant defense overcame a poor shooting performance as they secured the 55-43 home victory over Rutgers on Thursday. With the win, the Hawkeyes extended their winning streak to six straight and improved to 18-7 overall and 8-6 in conference play.
Guard Lucy Olsen continued her hot streak with 27 points on 11-of-19 shooting, while fellow guard Sydney Affolter secured the 10-point, 14-rebound double-double. No other Hawkeye hit double digits.
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“Sluggish games are going to happen,” head coach Jan Jensen said postgame. “I think we’ve just got to learn from it. I talked with the players [about it], you just find a way… I’m still really thankful that we got the win.”
First Half
Iowa fell to a 10-2 deficit as they shot 1-of-7 from the field early on, with their lone field goal coming from an Olsen putback layup off the offensive rebound. She also broke the Hawkeyes’ four-minute field goal drought with a fastbreak layup after the defense kept Rutgers scoreless for three straight possessions.
The Hustle
@LucyOlsenbball x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/efcG2JhFLs
— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) February 14, 2025
Olsen continued to carry the offense as she had eight of the team’s 10 points in the first quarter — Affolter owned the other two points. The Scarlet Knights had five different players put points on the board combining for 14 points as they held the four-point advantage heading into the second quarter.
“We’re sharing the ball a lot better, running our offense better, so I think it’s giving her more opportunities than to force some things that was probably earlier in the season for all of us,” Affolter said.
The fourth-year guard continued to wreak havoc on the Rutgers defense with a five-point swing through the first 45 seconds of the second quarter. Hannah Stuelke hit a contested layup at the cup, followed by another Olsen three to give Iowa its first lead of the game, 20-19. With the dime to Stuelke inside, Olsen officially hit the 500 career assist mark.
Defense became the catalyst for the momentum shift as Iowa kept Rutgers without a field goal for over nine minutes in the second period. Olsen’s third three of the night brought her point total up to 19 with five minutes left in the half as a part of a 13-0 Iowa run. The Knights had 19 points as a team up to that point.
BIG LU HAS 19
@LucyOlsenbball x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/FsJESHCNo6
— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) February 14, 2025
The Hawkeyes cooled off on offense, hitting just one of their last eight shots to close the half. Nonetheless, they held a 28-22 lead heading into the break.
Second Half
Olsen wasted no time picking up where she left off, hitting the pull-up jumper from 15-feet out in the first 11 seconds of the third quarter. Stuelke and Taylor McCabe contributed two points each.
Rutgers found its rhythm offensively scoring on three straight possessions, but Affolter’s consecutive threes held them off for the meantime, giving Iowa a 40-34 lead with three minutes remaining in the third.
B1G Dawg Double Double
10 PTS
12 REB
& Counting @sydneyaffolter1 x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/E3vBjQhQv6— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) February 14, 2025
The Hawkeyes hit five of their last six shots, including Affolter securing a double-double with her 10th rebound and a five-point Olsen swing that featured a buzzer-beating mid-range jumper, as they held the 46-37 lead with 10 minutes to go in the game.
“I’m getting more comfortable in the offense and finding where the shot opportunities are, instead of trying to force something and make something happen,” Olsen said. “We’re so good that anybody can step up any night. And for the last few [games], the ball’s just been falling for me.”
After three-and-a-half scoreless minutes from both teams, Feuerbach’s three and first made shot of the night gave Iowa its first double-digit lead of the night. She immediately drew the offensive foul on the other end, giving her two charges drawn on the night.
After Olsen and Stuelke added to their point totals at the cup, the Hawkeyes went four minutes without a bucket. But the Scarlet Knights nearly went the entire fourth quarter without putting a point on the board — a bank shot ending the Rutgers drought with 48 seconds left — as Iowa cruised to its sixth-straight victory.
“I thought the [defensive] strength needed to really be our calling card,” Jensen said. “But it can only be that if you buy in. That was a good focal point of the summer, and I think we’re reaping the benefits of that throughout the whole year.”
Up Next
The Hawkeyes will head to Columbus, Ohio, for a matchup with No. 9 Ohio State on Monday. The Buckeyes hold a 21-2 overall record and a 11-1 Big Ten record and will pose as Iowa’s second-toughest opponent behind then-No. 4 USC.