NORMAN, Okla. – The sixth-seeded Iowa women’s basketball team is over, falling in the round of 32 on Monday to third-seeded Oklahoma in a 96-62 blowout.
Despite fighting hard, the Hawkeyes were heavily out-rebounded and collected 20 turnovers while six Sooners scored in double figures. Fourth-year Lucy Olsen led all scorers with 20 points, followed by fourth-year Kylie Feuerbach with 14 points.
While Oklahoma put the first points of the day on the board with an easy two, Iowa largely held its own for several minutes of play. A quick shot by Olsen tied the game at two apiece and, moments later, Feuerbach nabbed a pass on the outside from fourth-year Sydney Affolter and splashed in a three to give the Hawkeyes a 5-2 lead.
Good shot
Great shot@sydneyaffolter1 x Kylie Feuerbach #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/fFPGg96iRL
— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 24, 2025
Less than a minute later, Feuerbach repeated the effort and put up her second trey, keeping Iowa up. In total, the Hawkeyes hit at a 45 percent clip from behind the arc in the first half, compared to the Sooners’ lackluster 12 percent.
“The girls I’m on the floor with always instill confidence in me, and I instill confidence in them,” Feuerbach said. “Every single year that I’ve played here, it’s the same. It’s just the way the culture is, and I’m very grateful for that.”
Where the Hawkeyes began to fall behind early on was the size battle. Despite the presence of third-year Hannah Stuelke, first-year Ava Heiden, and fourth-year Addison O’Grady on the court, Iowa’s bigs combined for only six points in the entire first half. The Hawkeyes were also out-rebounded, 31-21.
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Oklahoma capped off the first quarter with a trio of buckets to keep a 20-11 lead going into the half’s second part.
The Sooners kept momentum on their side with a quick two to start the second quarter, growing their lead to double figures. Despite Iowa’s best efforts, Oklahoma’s size enabled it to lead the second quarter in rebounding, 20-13.
The Hawkeyes kept themselves alive with smart shooting, outscored by only two points in the second quarter, but the damage done in the first kept the momentum heavily favoring the Sooners.
Both teams left the court at the half, Iowa trailing in double figures, 38-27.
Oklahoma’s shooters began to heat up during the second half, granting them the opportunity to widen the gap. Feuerbach contributed five points in the third quarter while Stuelke fought for six.
Still, the Hawkeyes were outscored more in the third quarter than in any other, 30-16. Iowa also posted only six rebounds in the quarter, with the Sooners nabbing 17, owing largely to the efforts of third-year Raegan Beers, who tallied 11 points on the day.
Oklahoma had jumped ahead by 25 points by the end of the third quarter, starting the game’s final installment with a major advantage. The Sooners took full advantage to score 28 points in the fourth, their second-highest amount of the game’s four quarters.
“I think we practiced pretty physically,” Olsen said after the game. “Our guys got us ready for it. I think we could have stepped up a little better. They’re a strong team.”
With timely three-point shooting from Feuerbach, third-year Taylor McCabe, and first-year Taylor Stremlow, the Hawkeyes closed the gap to 34 points by the game’s end, falling, 96-62, with Stremlow’s trey putting Iowa over 60 points and marking the last points of the game.
“I hope what people will remember about this season is what these young women did with probably one of the most difficult rebuilding jobs,” first-year head coach Jan Jensen said. “I couldn’t be more proud of them.”