Hawkeyes Suffer Narrow Defeat to 3-Seed Ohio State

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – The 11-seed University of Iowa women’s basketball team fell to 3-seed Ohio State, 59-60, inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday night in the Quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.

Senior Lucy Olsen led the Hawkeyes with 14 points and seven assists, and junior Hannah Stuelke recorded her second straight double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Senior Sydney Affolter also recorded 14 points with four threes, and freshman Ava Heiden notched her second double digit game of the tournament with 10 points and four rebounds.

Iowa and Ohio State traded three-pointers to open the game, but the Buckeyes found momentum with an 11-2 run. The Hawkeyes established a spark late in the quarter, closing with four straight points to trim the deficit to five, trailing 14-9 after the first period. Olsen led the first 10 minutes with seven points.

In the second quarter, Stuelke opened the scoring, but Ohio State quickly answered with four straight points. Back-to-back layups from Olsen and Stuelke, combined with a crucial block by Kylie Feuerbach that led to an Olsen three-pointer, brought the game to a tie. The Buckeyes responded with a 6-0 run before Affolter's three-pointer with 3:16 to play ignited a 10-2 surge, highlighted by five points from Heiden, giving Iowa its first lead at 28-26. Ohio State closed the quarter with two free throws, edging ahead 29-28 at halftime.

The third quarter was a back-and-forth battle with three ties and four lead changes. Stuelke’s back-to-back layups gave Iowa a brief lead before an Ohio State jumper put the Buckeyes back in front. Five straight points pushed the Hawkeyes to their largest lead of the game at 37-33. However, Ohio State responded, hitting their third three-pointer of the quarter with 2:28 remaining to reclaim their first advantage since the 7:25 mark. Feuerbach’s three with 1:38 to play tied the game, but the Buckeyes answered with a buzzer-beating layup to take a 48-46 lead into the final period.

Stuelke quickly evened the score at the beginning of the fourth quarter with a jumper, but Ohio State responded once again, sinking a three to regain the advantage. With 2:23 remaining, Affolter drained back-to-back threes, putting Iowa ahead by one with 1:18 to play. However, Ohio State’s McMahon sealed the game at the free-throw line, sinking two with six seconds left to secure a 60-59 victory.

POST-GAME NOTES
- Lucy Olsen netted 14 points and dished out seven assists.
- Sydney Affolter hit a pair of 3-pointers back-to-back to give Iowa a 59-58 lead with 1:18 to go in the fourth quarter.
- Ava Heiden registered 10+ points for the second straight game.
- Hannah Stuelke notched her 11th career double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.  
- It was Stuelke’s seventh double-double of the season which is a team-high.
- Stuelke has 59 career games in double figures which is 14th most since 2009.
- Olsen recorded six or more assists for the 13th time this season.
- Iowa is 6-2 on a neutral floor this year.
- Jan Jensen surpassed Lisa Bluder and now has second most wins by a head coach in their first season at the University of Iowa. (22)
- Jensen is the third coach in program history to notch 20+ victories in their first season.
- The Hawkeyes have won 20+ games in nine straight seasons which is the second longest streak in program history.
- Iowa has won 10 out of their last 13 games overall.
- Iowa has won a minimum of two games at the Big Ten Tournament in six out of the last seven tournaments.

FOLLOW US
Make sure to follow Iowa women’s basketball on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook (@IowaWBB) for news and updates all season long.