Hawkeyes fall in Champaign, drop to 2-3 in Big Ten play

It was expected that the Iowa women’s basketball team was going to have some bumps in the road during the 2024-25 campaign, as the program endured heavy roster turnover and a head coaching change. The season, to this point, has had plenty of roller coaster action, but heading home from Champaign, the Hawkeyes are sitting at their lowest point of the year. Free throwing shooting woes and offensive lulls stymied Iowa (12-4, 2-3), as they less than 100% healthy Illinois Fighting Illini (12-4, 2-3) pulled out a 62-57 win in front of their home fans at the State Farm Center. The Hawkeyes have suffered back-to-back defeats in Big Ten play for the first time since 2021.

“We’re freezing a little bit in the harder moments and that’s what I was disappointed in today,” said head coach Jan Jensen. “When Illinois came out and swung back when we got (a lead), it’s like we didn’t quite put our hands back up.”

The first half started out in favor of the Hawkeyes, jumping out to near double-digit leads on a couple of occasions. Hannah Stuelke, starting at center for the first time this season, scored the first two baskets of the game and Iowa was able to get out to an early 11-4 lead. The Illini battled back with a 10-0 run, but Lucy Olsen hit her second three-pointer of the quarter to knot the game back up. After ten minutes the game was tied 16-16.

Adalia McKenzie scored the first basket of the second to put Illinois back in front, but Iowa answered with a 13-2 run spearheaded by Hannah Stuelke and Lucy Olsen to open up a 29-20 lead. The two combined to score 34 of Iowa’s 57 points on the night, including a team-high 18 points from Stuelke.

“I thought it was a good coaching decision by Coach Jan to give somebody else a different look and come out a little bit different,” said Stuelke on starting in the post. “I thought it worked well in the first half.”

Leading by nine points with just over four minutes until halftime, the Hawkeyes had an opportunity to take control of the game, facing an Illini team that was on their heels and without star guard Makira Cook. Unfortunately, instead of pushing the pedal down and extending the advantage, Iowa endured an offensive lull. Something that has become way too common this season.

Over a span of the next 9:09, the Hawkeyes made just two of 11 field goal attempts, turned it over six times and scored just four points. Their once nine-point advantage became a 38-33 deficit midway through the third quarter.

“A lack of discipline on our passing. Again, it’s the turnovers,” said Jensen on the reasoning for the offensive lulls. “They were crucial. We had stretches where we had 2-3 in a row, something good, then three in a row…That was the key. You can’t get something going when you feel good one time and then the next two or three possessions it’s a lack of discipline.”

Berry Wallace hit a three-pointer to extend the lead for the Illini to 41-35 and the Hawkeyes were all of the sudden in a dangerous position, with not much going their way on the offensive end. Jan Jensen’s squad battled, but the near ten-minute stretch of poor execution was too much to overcome. That, and woeful free throw shooting down the stretch.

Trailing 52-50 early in the fourth, Addi O’Grady and Kylie Feuerbach both got to the charity stripe with a chance to, at the very least, tie the game. They made just one of their four attempts, allowing Illinois to hand on to a one-point lead.

Meanwhile, the Illini hit big shots when they needed to. Sophomore Jasmine Brown hit a couple of jumpers early in the final quarter, while Kendall Bostic and Genesis Bryant made plays to keep the lead intact. A three from Bryant put Illinois ahead 60-54 with 2:31 to play.

Iowa was able to cut it to 60-57, but with 20 seconds to play, one final possession summed up the entire night. Syd Affolter missed a pair of free throws, but was able to force a jump ball. On the ensuing play, Lucy Olsen fumbled a pass from Hannah Stuelke and as she tried to corral it, it touched the official standing out of bounds for a turnover.

“The ball hit off the refs stomach unfortunately,” said Olsen. “I was going to get it.”

Upon further review, it appeared as though Olsen was going to regain possession of the ball had it not touched the official. However, the turnover, as it stood, was a fitting end for the Hawkeyes. Genesis Bryant salted the game away with a pair of free throws to give the Illini a 62-57 win.

“I’m hoping this is one of our lowest points, but there’s a lot of big games left,” said Jan Jensen. “You get to a point where it’s like, woah, this is reality. Where it’s my job as a junior, it’s my job as a senior to try to lead them through it…collectively, we’ve got to keep pushing on that standard.”

“As the stakes get a little higher, we’ve got raise our level of intensity and what we expect of ourselves.”

On the night, the Hawkeyes were 22 of 55 (40.0%) from the floor and 5 of 20 (25.0%) from three-point range. Hannah Stuelke finished with a game-high 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Lucy Olsen added 16 points and five assists. Iowa turned it over 18 times to Illinois’ 10 and went just 8 of 17 (47.1%) from the free throw line.

Up Next: The Hawkeyes return home to host the Indiana Hoosiers on Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tipoff is set for 2:00pm CT on Peacock.