The No. 11 Iowa women’s basketball team lived to see another day after taking down No. 6 Michigan State, 74-61, in the first round of the Big Ten tournament.  

After passing Wisconsin in the play-in, Lucy Olsen played like the leader she’s been all season in producing 21 points and nine assists. That was followed by Taylor McCabe and Hannah Stuelke’s 12 points apiece. Ava Heiden compiled 11 points and four rebounds while Stuelke was battling foul trouble. 

The Hawkeyes snagged 16 steals and forced 24 Spartan turnovers, leading to 28 points on offense. 

“March is madness, right?” Iowa head coach Jan Jensen said after the game. “You’re never guaranteed moments like this. But if there’s a group that’s been working and believing and been relentless in their pursuit of chasing fun and chasing success, it’s been this group.”

First half

The first 17 seconds of the game consisted of a Kylie Feuerbach steal that led to a McCabe corner three. From then on, the Spartans defense interrupted nearly every Iowa offensive possession; the referees swallowed their whistles and allowed physical play. 

Olsen bailed out the Hawkeyes on several possessions. She scored nine of Iowa’s 12 total points in the opening period, saving the team from what should’ve been a massive deficit early on. They trailed, 16-12, after 10 minutes.

The second quarter, however, was all Iowa. The period began with a Michigan State three-second violation — the Hawkeye faithful screaming “THREE!” like it was a home wrestling match — that made for consecutive Stuelke finishes at the cup. 

That paved the way to a 14-0 Hawkeye run over the first 6:23 of the quarter as the defense forced a turnover on nearly every Spartan offensive possession, and it turned the four-point deficit into a 10-point advantage.

Michigan State’s first basket came at the 3:15 mark. It finished the quarter on a 9-6 scoring advantage, though Iowa held the 32-25 lead at the half. The Hawkeyes recorded 11 steals with the Spartans owning 15 turnovers. 

“The game is competitive,” Olsen said. “We haven’t had an easy one. We know that each team is going to be tough. I think the Big East was similar, but this is just a different level. But we have such a great team that we’re competitive with everyone.” 

Second half

Jensen was furious with officials after Olsen and Stuelke picked up a third foul each less than three minutes into the third quarter, earning her first technical foul of her head coaching career.

Shortly after, Addison O’Grady earned a late whistle after she was smacked on a layup attempt, prompting Jensen to sip on her paper Gatorade cup to calm her nerves after nearly losing her top.

“I was hot,” Jensen bluntly admitted to her frustrations at that moment. “I did thank [the team] in the locker room for making that a win with my first tech and whatnot. But I thought if I was going to get one that was as good of a time as any.”

Michigan State’s momentum built up for a brief moment as the Spartans tied the game at 40 apiece. The two teams played tug-o-war for the lead before Heiden took over the rest of the period. 

The first-year hit the post layup to give Iowa the lead, forced a Spartan turnover on the other end with her help defense, and was rewarded with an Olsen outlet pass for running the floor, leading to the tough and-one bucket. The Iowa bench went into a frenzy, and the Hawkeyes led, 54-48, after three quarters. 

“All the reps that I’ve put in in the dark have been helping a lot with that,” Heiden said of her performance. “Just waiting for my opportunity and working towards it so that when I do get that, I can shine.”

It was a collective effort from then on. Heiden hit another pair of inside shots, Feuerbach and Olsen knocked in their free throws, and McCabe clicked from distance for the fourth time. That, along with disciplined defensive play, allowed the Hawkeyes to jump ahead two scores late in the contest. 

Feuerbach drove baseline and hit the layup over the outstretched arm of the defender to beat the shot clock to give the Hawkeyes a nine-point lead with 1:45 left in the game. She followed it up with a dagger three, her first of the game. 

Her first shot attempt of the night was an airball three — one that had the Michigan State band chanting “airball” every time she touched the rock. But fans were mute after that game-sealing sequence on the way to a 74-61 Iowa victory. 

“I’m just beyond proud of this group,” Jensen said. “They’ve just been a really joyous group to coach a lot of youth. Eight out of our 13 [players] were new — big shoes, big shadows, all the things. Had some adversity, but they never balked.” 

Up next

The Hawkeyes will take on No. 3 Ohio State on Friday. The last time these two teams matched up, the Hawkeyes came back from a 12-point deficit in the last 1:30 of regulation to push the game into overtime. The Buckeyes exited with the 86-78 win. 

The trio of Coti McMahon and guards Jaloni Cambridge and Kennedy Cambridge combined for 70 of Ohio State’s 86 points in the overtime battle. Iowa picked up 29 fouls as a team with Stuelke, Affolter, and Feuerbach all fouling out. 

The Buckeyes finished the regular season as the No. 8 team after a 22-3 season. Led by junior forward McMahon, Ohio State possesses a high-powered offense that averages nearly 81 points a game and a low 12.9 turnovers a game. The Buckeyes also sit atop the Big Ten and in the top 10 nationally with 12.6 steals a game.