The Iowa women’s basketball team dropped a close road contest to No. 8 Ohio State on Monday, falling, 86-78, in overtime.
Despite closing a 12-point gap with less than two minutes of play to force overtime, the Hawkeyes were overall weighed down by 29 personal fouls and 20 turnovers, enabling a Buckeye win.
Fourth-year Lucy Olsen led Iowa in scoring with 27 points, continuing her tear this season, followed by fourth-year Sydney Affolter who, despite fouling out, notched a double-double of 11 points and 15 rebounds for the Hawkeyes.
Ohio State leapt out to a strong start, putting intense defensive pressure on Iowa and nabbing an early lead. In the area of turnovers, a notable weak point for the Hawkeyes, the Buckeyes held themselves to four in the first half while forcing nine from Iowa, including seven steals.
Another area of importance was three-point shooting — or a lack of it. Ohio State’s first half saw it 4-for-10 from beyond the arc, good for a 40 percent clip. In contrast, the Hawkeyes managed only 1-for-8 from downtown in the entire first half, a much more dismal 12.5 percent clip.
With just over five minutes remaining in the first half, Iowa, trailing 28-16, needed a hero. Fourth-year Kylie Feuerbach, positioned just behind the three-point line, lobbed a pass over two defenders to third-year Hannah Stuelke, who knocked in a layup immediately thereafter.
Kylie
@StuelkeHannah #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/IP0KnT1Z8T
— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) February 17, 2025
The Hawkeyes also had an edge in rebounding, which they used to their advantage, leading the category at 20-18 in the first half alone.
While advantages like these earned the Hawkeyes some points, two personal fouls apiece on three of Iowa’s starters, namely Feuerbach, Affolter, and Olsen, along with a 22-point effort from the Buckeyes’ Cambridge sisters, were enough to keep the Hawkeyes down going into the half, 34-21.
Clawing back
Iowa brought a much-needed burst of energy with it into the second half, making a 6-0 run within the first three minutes of the third quarter.
Affolter, responsible for seven rebounds in the first half alone, stepped up offensively in the third quarter. The fourth-year from Chicago drilled in a three off a pass from Feuerbach minutes into the second half, taking advantage of the space to add a trey-ball to Iowa’s growing score. The guard later followed with an and-one to cut Ohio State’s lead to 40-35.
Syd the Kid
Kylie Feuerbach x @sydneyaffolter1 #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/E3mEqyTrRt
— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) February 17, 2025
Although Affolter had four fouls by the time of the fourth quarter, the Hawkeyes had cut the gap from a 13-point deficit to a more manageable 51-44 gap by the game’s final installment.
The Buckeyes retaliated, growing back to a lead in double figures in the fourth quarter, but a much-needed steal by Stuelke leading to an and-one by Affolter put Iowa within a point of tying the game. With seconds left, it was anybody’s game to win, Ohio State holding a narrow 74-72 lead.
The Hawkeyes took their last timeout with a chance to snag the upset within their grasp. While the potential three to win eluded the Black and Gold, two free throws from Olsen tied the game, ending a monumental Iowa scoring run and forcing overtime.
So close
Olsen drew first blood with a layup in overtime to give the Hawkeyes their first lead of the game, crossing the 25-point threshold in the process. At the same time, with an 0-1 record this season in overtime games, Iowa had high expectations to close the deal.
Ultimately, the Buckeyes came out on top after a ferocious overtime battle that saw Affolter foul out and trips to the charity stripe from both teams ultimately favoring Ohio State. Despite their best efforts, the Hawkeyes had picked up their eighth loss of the season, 86-78.
Up next
Iowa returns home to take on No. 3 UCLA on Feb. 23. The contest is set to receive coverage from Peacock and the Hawkeye Radio Network.