IOWA CITY, Iowa– Sunday was one of the most historic days in the history of Carver-Hawkeye Arena. It lived up to everything anyone could have wanted. The atmosphere was electric, Iowa delivered a signature win and they retired the greatest to ever do it. It would have been easy for the wind to be taken out of the Hawkeye sails had they lost, but the team fought through adversity and finished the job. Let’s dive into my 3-2-1.
Three Thoughts:
1. Jan Jensen earns biggest win of early career
Iowa has always been closer than it has farther away. When the Hawkeyes were going through their five-game losing streak, short-term frustration kicked in and questions were raised. On Sunday afternoon, Jensen shut down those questions. Her squad got out to an 18-1 lead over No. 4 USC and held them to only one field goal throughout the first 13 minutes of the contest.
“What I’m so happy for [the players] about is, they’ve been staying the course,” head coach Jan Jensen said. “They keep coming, and they keep leaning in, and we keep working.”
“I’m just trying to stay steady, but obviously a top four win is huge. I’m incredibly proud of them and I intend to build on it. But I do know the youth that we have sometimes, and we count on them a lot. Sometimes you get in those tough stretches, and we’ve got a lot of tough road games ahead of us, so I’m being cautiously optimistic.”
The Hawkeyes have been within a possession in the final quarter in every single loss this season. They hadn’t had any bad resume losses, but they hadn’t any statement wins. Sunday’s win was a statement.
2. No better atmosphere in women’s college basketball
What a weekend to have some of the top recruits in the country. Iowa’s atmosphere was up there with any game during the Caitlin Clark era. The recruits noticed too. One thing about Jensen is that she’s incredibly self-aware. At the start of the season, she knew there would be highs and lows. As well as critics and skeptics.
During Iowa’s media day, she advised everyone to be excited, but be patient because of all of the new pieces. The Hawkeye atmosphere on Sunday is going to be hard to top anywhere around the country. And that could serve well with the star power that they had on campus.
3. Iowa’s ability to execute down the stretch
There have been a lot of times this season where Iowa has had opportunities to take the game to the next level. At times this season, the Hawkeyes haven’t been able to get the small things done down the stretch to deserve the win. On Sunday they did. Kudos to Lucy Olsen, who solidified her Hawkeye legacy with a strong performance.
In the Nebraska loss, she went 1-of-6 from the free throw line down the stretch. On Sunday, she did exactly what she was brought to Iowa to do. She was the go-to bucket-getter who willed her team to victory. She went 7-for-7 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter and showcased her takeover ability.
The Hawkeyes have a lot of momentum going into the future with a standout freshman class and a strong 2025 recruiting class. Pieces to succeed are in place, but it’s important to earn marquee wins to keep the trajectory of the program trending in the right direction. Olsen’s ability helped provide that statement win.
Two Stars:
Lucy Olsen- Shocker, right? On a serious note, Olsen was absolutely spectacular on Sunday, especially in the second half. After committing four turnovers in the first 20 minutes, she played a near flawless final 20 minutes. Bucket after bucket– she guided Iowa down the stretch against a star-powered roster. She ended with 28 points, four assists and four rebounds.
In the second half, she went for 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting and didn’t turn the ball over.
“Before (the second half) started, I went up to (Olsen) and I just said, ‘You’ve gotta know how much I believe in you’,” said Jensen. “She’s such a great kid, and what’s harder to understand from the outside is, when you transfer in as a senior and you’re a point guard, you’re still very new and you’re trying to learn it and run it and there’s a lot that happens in your head. And so, you know, she just wants to do so well and she’s felt the pressure too.”
Addi O’Grady- Hannah Steulke was great in the first half, but O’Grady really stepped up to the plate with Stuelke in foul trouble. O’Grady’s efficiency continues to help her all-around game. She ends with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting to go along with four rebounds. She also altered quite a few USC shots down the stretch without fouling. Twelve of O’Grady’s points came in the second half.
“If I’ve learned anything from these four years, it’s always being ready when your number’s called,” O’Grady said. “I’m just gonna go in and do what the team needs at any time. Whenever the coaches decide to put me in, whatever I can do for the team, I’m going to be ready for it. As a senior now, I’ve taken a bit more of a leadership role, and I can just kind of calm down some of the underclassmen, and really just make a big impact on the game.”
One Takeaway: Iowa women’s basketball isn’t going anywhere
It was a storybook ending to a game with the greatest of all-time in the house. The Hawkeyes responded to a big USC run and controlled the second half. Jensen knows that she has talent on the team and they put together a massive win for their NCAA Tournament chances. It also raised everyone’s confidence.
“It really just speaks to the culture of this program, like how fast honestly we’re able to rebuild,” O’Grady said. “Everyone trusts one another, and we trust our coaches. These past three games really have given us a huge spark. The one today — biggest spark that we could have gotten, in front of 15,000 people and Caitlin and all of our old teammates.”
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