With legends Lisa Bluder and Caitlin Clark in the building, the Iowa Women's Basketball team put on a dominating display. They easily took care of Wisconsin 81-54 on a night when they shot the lights out. They shot 57 percent from the floor and 55 percent from the three-point line in their offensive explosion.
The seniors paved the way, with Lucy Olsen scoring 19 points, notching her 2,000th career point. Sydney Affolter and Kylie Feuerbach each added nine points.
The Hawkeyes got off to a hot start, shooting 8/9 from the floor. Their ball movement and pressure on defense led to a dominating first quarter. They ended the quarter on a 21-2 run and never looked back.
They took a 43-23 lead into the half and continued to dominate in the second half. By the middle of the third quarter, the Hawkeyes pushed their lead as high as 27 points. The starters were pulled and the fabulous freshman came in.
The Hawkeye lineup consisted of five freshmen to close out the game. They displayed tremendous energy and hustle, and every Hawkeye registered a stat in the Wednesday night win.
1-0. #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/ocJtrQ5tD2
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 6, 2025
Iowa's dominating display on both ends was key to their victory. They held Wisconsin to 54 points on 38 percent shooting from the floor and 46 percent from the three-point line. The Hawkeyes also registered 10 steals on the night.
Iowa moves onto the tournament's second round, where they will face 6-seed Michigan State at 8:30 p.m. central time, streaming on Peacock. The Hawkeyes look to avenge their loss to Michigan State earlier in the season, where they lost 68-66 in East Lansing, Michigan, on December 15, 2024.
This heartbreaking loss included the Hawkeyes losing a large lead late in the ballgame. They also had a whopping 23 turnovers in the loss.
The Hawkeyes will look to improve on that previous performance to advance to the next round. They need to handle Michigan State's defensive intensity to limit turnovers. They also need to employ the same offensive strategy they used against Wisconsin.
Their ball movement and high-level shot-making were highly successful against the Badgers. They need to shoot a high percentage in Thursday night's game to knock off the Spartans.
Iowa has won the last three Big Ten Tournament titles, and aims to continue its quest for a fourth straight title in tonight's big matchup against the Michigan State Spartans.