Hawkeyes Whip Wisconsin in First Round of Big Ten Tourney

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – The 11-seeded University of Iowa women’s basketball team defeated 14-seed Wisconsin, 81-54, inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday night to advance to the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.

Senior Lucy Olsen reached her 2,000th career point in tonight’s matchup and led the Hawkeyes with 19 points with three from behind the arc. Senior duo Sydney Affolter and Kylie Feuerbach each registered nine points, with Affolter adding seven rebounds. Junior Taylor McCabe also slashed three treys to add nine herself. Every available player recorded a stat in tonight’s matchup.

Wisconsin opened up the game with a three, but Iowa quickly responded with back-to-back layups from Affolter and Feuerbach. The Badgers then scored four straight to take an early lead; however, Iowa took control, holding them scoreless for the final 6:37 of the quarter. The Iowa 19-0 run started with a Olsen fast-break layup, followed by a McCabe three. Back-to-back threes from Affolter and Feuerbach forced a Wisconsin timeout with 3:13 left, and Olsen capped the dominant stretch with a buzzer-beating layup.

The Badgers found slight momentum out of the quarter netting five straight points, but the game remained back and forth from there. Iowa caught fire from beyond the arc, with Olsen scoring a quarter-high eight points with two threes and freshman Aaliyah Guyton adding back-to-back triples late in the quarter. The Hawkeyes took a commanding, 43-23 lead into halftime.

The Hawkeyes maintained control in the second half, outscoring Wisconsin, 22-16. Freshman Teagan Mallegni’s reverse layup with 2:44 left in the third gave Iowa a game-high 27-point lead, and fellow freshman Ava Heiden added a buzzer-beating layup to close the quarter. Iowa dominated ball movement, tallying 11 assists to Wisconsin’s five.

The Badgers made a final push with a 9-0 run to start the fourth, cutting Iowa’s lead to 17. McCabe knocked down two threes in the quarter to keep the Hawkeyes in control, and a late 8-2 run, capped by three straight AJ Ediger buckets which secured the victory.

POSTGAME NOTES
- Lucy Olsen eclipsed 2,000 career points with a 3-pointer in the second quarter (6:48).
- Olsen also surpassed 500 points as a Hawkeye.
- Jan Jensen tied Lisa Bluder for the second most wins by a head coach in their first season at the University of Iowa.
- Jensen is the third coach in program history to notch 20+ victories in their first season.
- The Hawkeyes extended their win streak over Wisconsin to 31 consecutive since Feb. 25, 2007.
- Over the last 11 games, Olsen is shooting 28-of-56 from 3-point range.
- Iowa improved to 39-25 all-time in the Big Ten Tournament.
- The Hawkeyes are 16-2 in its last 18 games at the BTT.
- Iowa has won its opening round game in seven of the last eight BTT appearances.
- The Hawkeyes are 64-18 against Big Ten foes over the last four seasons.
- In the last 13 BTT games, Iowa has won nine games by double digits.
- Iowa has won five consecutive opening round games in the BTT by 10+ points.
- Iowa is 5-1 on a neutral floor this year.
- The Hawkeyes have won 20+ games in nine straight seasons which is the second longest streak in program history.
- Sydney Affolter, Kylie Feuerbach, and Taylor McCabe all registered nine points.
- Affolter and Olsen combined for 15 of Iowa’s 25 in the first quarter going 7-of-7 from the floor.
- In the first 10 minutes of action, Iowa dominated the paint, 14-2.
- Iowa’s offense shot 73 percent (11-15) from the field and was 3-of-4 from deep in the first quarter.
- In the first half Iowa shot 70 percent (7-10) 3-point range and outrebounded Wisconsin, 21-8.
- The Hawkeyes led the game for 36:35.
- Iowa leads the all-time series, 61-20.
- The Hawkeyes improved to 17-4 when leading at half.
- It marked Iowa’s fifth win by double digits in the last seven games.
- Iowa has won nine out of its last 11 contests.
- Since the start of the 2020-21 season, Iowa leads the country with 118 games of 80+ points.
- Since 2018-19, Iowa is 94-6 when recording 80+ points and 20+ assists in a game.
- Since 2020-21, Iowa has won 103 games when scoring 80+ points.
- Iowa outrebounded Wisconsin, 41-19.
- Iowa dished out 25 assists which is the second-most this season.

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UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes are slated to face 6-Seed Michigan State in the Second Round of the 2025 Big Ten Tournament on Thursday at 8 p.m. (CT) in Indianapolis. The contest will air on the Big Ten Network and the Hawkeye Radio Network.