Hawkeyes Fall Just Short to No. 3 UCLA

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa Women’s Basketball team fell to No. 3 UCLA, 67-65, on Sunday afternoon inside a sold-out Carver Hawkeye Arena. Iowa falls to 18-9 overall and 8-8 in conference play.

Senior Lucy Olsen led Iowa with 17 points and five rebounds, and Hannah Stuelke added 11 points with eight rebounds. Senior Addi O'Grady and Taylor McCabe each notched 10 points each, and Sydney Affolter was a force on the boards grabbing 11 along with adding seven points.

UCLA took control of the game early, holding the Hawkeyes on a four-minute scoring drought after their first bucket. During this time, the Bruins went on a 6-0 run to take an early, 8-2 advantage; however, a steal from Affolter, resulting in a jumper from O’Grady, ended the Hawkeye drought. Iowa continued the momentum with back-to-back threes from freshman Aaliyah Guyton and Olsen, closing out the quarter down, 14-12.

To start the second quarter, the Hawkeyes tied the game for the first time with two free throws from Kylie Feuerbach. Iowa went on to tie the game four more times in the first five minutes. Despite giving up a UCLA 5-0 scoring run, the Hawkeyes took their first lead of the game with three minutes left in the half after McCabe hit one from behind the arc. The Hawkeyes continued to build their lead with a steal from Taylor Stremlow, leading to a fast-break layup from Stuelke, capping an 11-0 scoring run. Olsen ended the half with a layup in the final two seconds, giving Iowa their largest lead of seven, 36-29, going into the locker room.

Olsen opened the third quarter with a three-pointer, and with six minutes to play, Feuerbach hit another three to give the Hawkeyes their biggest lead of the game at 12 points. However, UCLA found some spark, holding Iowa to four points in the final five minutes. UCLA’s Kiki Rice went two for two from the free-throw line with 25 seconds left in the quarter to tie the game at 50 going into the final frame.

The final 10 minutes were a battle, with four ties and three lead changes. Olsen led all scorers with seven points in the final stretch. Despite Iowa's efforts, including key free throws from Affolter and Olsen, UCLA edged out the victory with a final score of 67-65.

POSTGAME NOTES
- Lucy Olsen paced Iowa with 17 points, five rebounds, and one assist.
- Olsen tied the game at 65 by making three free throws with 6.8 seconds on the clock.
- Hannah Stuelke reached double figures for the 55th time in her career.
- Taylor McCabe registered double figures for the eighth time this season.
- Hannah Stuelke recorded 10+ points for the 55th time in her career.
- Sydney Affolter has reached double digits 12 times this year and in seven straight games.
- Affolter has 10+ rebounds in four out of the last five games.
- Affolter has snatched double digit rebounds a team-best seven times this season.
- The Hawkeyes led by seven points at halftime, the largest deficit the Bruins have faced all season in the first 20 minutes of action.
- Iowa went 15-of-19 from the free throw line. (79 percent)

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UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes will hit the road to face Michigan on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Tip-off inside the Crisler Center is set for 6 p.m. (CT) and will air BTN+ and the Hawkeye Radio Network.