SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota – The University of Iowa women’s basketball team defeated Kansas, 71-58 on Wednesday night at the Sanford Pentagon. Iowa improves to 5-0 on the season.
The Hawkeyes set the tone early with an 18-4 lead by the end of the first quarter. Their defense held Kansas to a mere 8.3% from the field and prevented them from converting any of their four three-point attempts. Freshmen Taylor Stremlow and Lucy Olsen each hit a three-pointer and finished the first quarter with five points apiece.
Kansas responded strongly in the second quarter, outsco ring Iowa, 23-20. Stuelke led the quarter with eight points, and freshman Teagan Mallegni hit two three-pointers to help maintain the lead. Iowa’s defense stayed active, grabbing seven rebounds compared to Kansas’ five, and extended its largest lead to 15 points midway through the second quarter. The Hawkeyes were up, 38-27 going into halftime.
The third quarter saw Iowa extend their lead further, with Olsen leading the quarter with seven points. It was a back-and-forth game between the Hawkeyes and the Jayhawks, but junior Taylor McCabe’s three-pointer midway through the quarter was a highlight, pushing Iowa’s lead to 17 points, their largest of the game.
The fourth quarter was evenly matched, with Iowa outscoring Kansas, 13-12. Stuelke capped off the game with four rebounds in the fourth quarter, securing her fifth career double-double and solidifying Iowa’s victory.
POSTGAME NOTES
– The Hawkeyes are 5-0 to start Jan Jensen’s tenure, making her the second coach in program history to do that, joining Angie Lee who started 7-0 in 1995-96.
– The Hawkeyes have won two in a row against Kansas at a neutral site. The other was in the championship game of the WBCA Classic in Kansas City on Nov. 12, 2006.
– It was Iowa WBB’s first appearance in the Sanford Pentagon.
– Hannah Stuelke registered her 41st career game in double figures which is fifth-most in program history since 2020.
– It was Stuelke’s fifth career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
– Lucy Olsen scored 16 points going 5-of-11 from the floor and a team-best six assists.
– Olsen has reached double figures and four or more assists in all five career games with Iowa.
– Olsen knocked down a season-best three 3-pointers.
– Olsen and Stuelke accounted for 19 or Iowa’s 38 points in the first half.
– Taylor Stremlow knocked down her first career 3-pointer and set a new career-high with seven points.
– The Hawkeyes held Kansas to four points in the first quarter which is a season-best for the defense.
– The Hawkeyes have won 114 games since 2020-21 which ties for fourth-best nationally. (114-30)
– Iowa has outscored all five opponents this year in paint points.
QUOTING SUE P. BECKWITH, MD, HEAD COACH JAN JENSEN
“We put a lot of emphasis on our guard defense in the first quarter. Kansas has been one of the more athletic teams we’ve faced so far. I think we made it very hard for them to execute their game plan, and that was the key in the first quarter. We really came out focused on our defense. It wasn’t a pretty game, but both teams were keying in on each other’s strengths.”
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UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes will return home to face Washington State inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday at 3 p.m. (CT). The game is set to broadcast on BTN and the Hawkeye Radio Network.