The Iowa women’s basketball team nabbed a win to start their Big Ten Tournament postseason play on Wednesday, besting Wisconsin, 81-54. The Hawkeyes dominated the entire contest and trailed by only three early on in the game. 

Fourth-year Lucy Olsen led Iowa in scoring with 19 points, the only Hawkeye to reach double figures. Olsen was one of nine players to put up points, with third-year Taylor McCabe and fourth-years Sydney Affolter and Kylie Feuerbach all contributing nine apiece.

“It was a really nice opening round victory for us,” first-year head coach Jan Jensen said after the game. “I thought we started the game really, really sharp. I’m really thankful that we had that kind of a start.”

First Half

While Wisconsin gained first possession from the tipoff, leading to a quick three, Iowa quickly got on the board with a layup from fourth-year Sydney Affolter. Fellow fourth-year Kylie Feuerbach repeated the effort to give the Hawkeyes their first lead of the night.

While the first quarter remained close at first, with the Badgers riding their momentum to a 9-8 lead, Iowa made quick work of pulling away early. Third-year Hannah Stuelke made quick work and snatched a Wisconsin pass, feeding the ball down the court to third-year Taylor McCabe for her first trey of the night.

Stuelke Steal McCabe 3 @StuelkeHannah x @_taylormccabe #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/tW576Uv4Gn

— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 6, 2025

It was here that the Hawkeyes began to showcase improvement in several areas in which they have struggled this season. Iowa broke even with the Badgers in turnovers with six apiece, while previous games this season have seen the Hawkeyes reach as high as 30 turnovers. Iowa also led in points from turnovers, 6-2.

With the seconds ticking away in the first quarter, a shot from the arc by Affolter grew Iowa’s lead to a 16-9 gap. Moments later, a steal by Olsen led to a similar effort from Feuerbach, as well as cries of “Let’s go Hawks!” echoing throughout Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Hawkeyes’ shooting prowess carried them into the second quarter with a 25-9 lead.

In fact, shooting, both inside and beyond the arc, gave Iowa a huge advantage in the first half. The Hawkeyes shot at a 58 percent clip from the field, including a 7-for-10 effort from downtown. 

“I think we’re trusting each other,” Olsen said after the game. “We’re getting used to finding each other and finding the spots where everyone likes to shoot the ball from. I think that plays a lot into it.”

A massive lead allowed several substitutions in the second quarter, allowing fourth-year Addison O’Grady to get her first points of the night, before Olsen knocked in a three to nudge Iowa past 30 points, as well as bring her past the 2,000-point threshold for her career.

First-year Aaliyah Guyton knocked in a pair from downtown to nab herself an easy six points, before one final bucket from Olsen closed out the half with a 43-23 Hawkeye lead going into the locker room.

Second Half

While the scoreboard heavily favored the Hawkeyes to start the game’s back half, Iowa had previously blown double-digit leads against Big Ten foes Nebraska and Oregon earlier this season. Still, the Hawkeyes kept their composure to cross the 50-point threshold just over three minutes into the third quarter. 

By the first timeout of the half, Iowa had gone 4-for-5 in recent field goals, with Stuelke heating up to six points in less than two minutes. 

Points in transition @aguyton11 x @LucyOlsenbball x @StuelkeHannah #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/JeysL9xzP8

— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 6, 2025

With five minutes left in the third quarter, a momentous block by O’Grady gave the Hawkeyes a surge of energy. First-year Teagan Mallegni, already sporting five rebounds, four of them defensively, capitalized to drill in a three, now putting Iowa up by 25 points and forcing Wisconsin to take their second timeout of the quarter.

The defense picked up as the third quarter raged on, but several Hawkeyes managed to create opportunities for offense, including layups by both Mallegni and O’Grady. 

Iowa also put in a lineup of five freshmen in their Big Ten Tournament debut, namely Mallegni, Guyton, and first-years Ava Heiden, Taylor Stremlow, and Callie Levin. The rookie class locked down to enter the game’s fourth quarter with a 65-39 lead, courtesy of a buzzer-beating layup from Heiden.

The Badgers kicked off the final quarter with another deep three, but the Hawkeyes had enough momentum to close the deal, which Iowa did so with vigor. 

After third-year Jada Gyamfi checked in for the Hawkeyes, McCabe fired in her second and third threes of the night, bridged by a driving layup from Feuerbach. Despite the fouls piling up on Iowa’s end, it was too little, too late for Wisconsin, trailing by a whopping 27 points as the last seconds ran off the clock.

“I thought we started this game with a lot more intensity than the first time we played them,” Affolter said in a press conference. “We adjusted a few things from our scout, but ultimately, [it was] just coming out with that confidence, knowing that we are one of the top teams here and we want to be here for as long as possible.”

Up next

Now 21-9 overall this season, the No. 11-seeded Hawkeyes advance to the second round to take on No. 6 Michigan State on Thursday evening. 

“It’s going to be a lot different than tonight was,” Jensen said after the game. “They’re a really good basketball team. They took UCLA to the wire at UCLA. It goes back to the strength of this league.”

With the victor getting a shot at No. 3 Ohio State, Iowa readies for a rematch against the Spartans, whom they previously fell to on Dec. 15, 68-66. The contest is set to receive coverage from the Big Ten Network and Hawkeye Radio Network.