The 11th-seeded Iowa women’s basketball team dropped a close contest to third-seeded Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals, 60-59, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Friday.
While an all-around battle resulted in eight lead changes and nine ties, the Hawkeyes’ lackluster shooting in the first quarter, as well as 16 turnovers compared to 14 for the Buckeyes, proved to be Iowa’s undoing.
“I want to see our offense get a little bit more consistent,” Iowa head coach Jan Jensen said after the game. “We’ll be working on that.”
A versatile offense saw three high scorers with 14 points each for the Hawkeyes, namely fourth-years Lucy Olsen and Sydney Affolter — as well as third-year Hannah Stuelke, who notched a double-double with 12 rebounds. First-year Ava Heiden chipped in 10 points, her second-consecutive outing with double figures.
First half
Ohio State got off to a strong start, winning first possession and capitalizing with an immediate three. While the effort was quickly matched by Olsen to knot the contest up at three apiece, Iowa’s lackluster 17.6 percent field goal accuracy in the first quarter allowed the Buckeyes to take an early 14-5 lead despite a messy five turnovers and three personal fouls.
The Hawkeyes battled to find their footing, with a 2-for-2 effort by Affolter at the charity stripe and a jumper by Olsen bringing the game to a 14-9 deficit at the end of the first quarter.
“I think we got a lot of good, open shots,” Olsen said in the postgame press conference. “We just didn’t get as many as we needed to and missed a lot of layups. Their defense is good. Just a few more makes and that [was] our game. But we got a lot of good, open shots with the rest of my teammates, so I’m happy about that.”
The second quarter saw Iowa regain some of its momentum after a scoring drought of over four minutes in the first. The Hawkeyes fought to break Ohio State’s intense defensive press and close a five-point gap to an 18-15 contest.
Trailing by three, the Buckeyes closed in on Iowa’s basket with speed before a high-flying block by Feuerbach turned over the possession to McCabe. The ball reached Olsen just outside the arc, and with what seemed like all the time in the world, the guard splashed in a three to knot the game at 18 all.
The block 😍
The three 😍Kylie Feuerbach x @LucyOlsenbball #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/Oo0uAlIIr7
— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 8, 2025
While Ohio State got back a six-point lead, it seemed the spark the Hawkeyes needed had finally arrived. A trey from Affolter put Iowa within three of tying the game again before Heiden answered the call, chipping in a free throw and two layups to tie up, 26-26.
Moments later, both teams left the court for the half with a 29-28 score on the board. As the shots started to fall for the Hawkeyes, the Buckeyes, for all their efforts, now led by only one.
Second half
A pair of layups by Stuelke to start the second half gave Iowa a narrow 32-31 lead, kicking off a defensive back-and-forth that spanned the rest of the game, which itself consisted of seven lead changes and eight ties.
“My teammates do a great job of getting me the ball when I need it,” Stuelke said after the game. “They’ve been great teammates, and I’m glad that I get to experience this with them.”
Neither team had led by double figures for the duration of the entire game, and the second half was no exception. Stuelke, from the paint, tied the game again, this time at 48-48, to start the fourth quarter. A deep three from Ohio State was the start of a brief 9-3 run that gave the Buckeyes their largest lead of the second quarter with a six-point gap.
With time winding down, Heiden began the work to close the gap and put the Hawkeyes back on top. Moments after a layup from the first-year closed that gap to four points, Affolter stepped up and knocked in a three to narrow the margin to one.
Moments later, a pass from Feuerbach, traveling first through Stuelke and McCabe, found Affolter behind the arc. Gainbridge Fieldhouse erupted in a sea of black and gold as Affolter splashed in another trey, the last points Iowa saw for the night.
What ultimately killed the comeback run were the fouls with Ohio State third-year Cotie McMahon chipping in two from the charity stripe to put the Buckeyes up by one with seconds left. Although the Hawkeyes had the last possession, the damage was done, and a forced shot signaled the end of the game and Ohio State’s advancement.
Up next
With Iowa’s Big Ten tournament run at a close, the Hawkeyes await the results of Selection Sunday and their chance at an NCAA tournament run next.
“I still believe, even though we came up a little short, we’re one of the hottest teams,” Jensen said after the game. “I’m just so thankful that I get to coach, that we’ll be in the NCAA tournament.”