Iowa women’s basketball vs Rutgers recap: Lucy Olsen, Sydney Affolter lead Hawkeyes to win
Iowa women’s basketball kept its momentum going with a solid win against Rutgers on Thursday inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The Hawkeyes (18-7, 8-6 Big Ten Conference) have won six straight games and look to be hitting their stride at the right time.
GAME STORY:Iowa women’s basketball: Hawkeyes lean on Lucy Olsen to grind out win vs. Rutgers
Check below to relive the game’s biggest updates, highlights and analysis:
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Olsen (27 points) and Affolter (10 points, 14 rebounds), carried the offense, but it was really Iowa’s defense that was consistently dominant.
Iowa seems to be coming into form and preparing to make a run as the regular season winds down.
Fun night in Iowa City!
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Not the prettiest stretch from Iowa as it struggled to get anything going on offense to start the quarter, but a corner 3 from Feuerbach broke the ice and ballooned Iowa’s lead back to double-digits.
She then drew another charge call defensively.
A Stuelke bucket extended the lead, and a Rutgers travel right afterward gave the impression that this is definitely Iowa’s game to lose.
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Affolter knocked down her second triple, this time from the corner, but Rutgers also seems to have found its shooting stroke out of halftime as the team made three straight shots.
Olsen kept Iowa afloat with a pull-up midrange jumper, her signature shot. Iowa keeps shooting itself int he foot, though, and has committed four turnovers in the frame.
Guyton also had a quick dash to the hoop for a layup, and Feuerbach bravely took a charge in the final seconds before Olsen beat the buzzer with another midrange shot.
Olsen is up to 25 points.
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Jensen called a quick timeout after a miscommunication led to a turnover from Olsen.
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A great play and execution got Olsen open at her sweet spot, the elbow, and she swished a jumper to start the half. Iowa followed it up by forcing Rutgers into its third shot-clock violation of the game.
Stuelke then used her leverage to make a tough bucket in the paint, which the Scarlett Knights answered with a tough 3-pointer.
Rutgers was also called for a technical foul after a foul on Stuelke. McCabe made the pair.
It was a bit of a foul fest thereafter as the referees seemingly want to minimize this game’s physicality. The choppy sequence definitely took both teams out of rhythm for a bit. But an Affolter triple forced a Rutgers timeout.
Side note: Olsen surpassed 500 career assists.
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Let’s see if Iowa can maintain its level from second frame, and if Olsen can stay hot from deep.
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Guyton had a nice, strong take to the basket in transition for her first score of the game, and she then found herself at the free throw line after getting fouled in transition on the next possession.
Rutgers had a scoring drought of over six minutes (!) until a free throw broke its cold spell, but it took nine minutes for them to make a field goal.
Just a spectacular half from Olsen (19 points) and Affolter (8 rebounds). They revitalized the Hawkeyes after that sloppy start and have the team feeling good at the break.
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A nice entry pass from McCabe to a deeply-positioned Stuelke got her an easy layup for her first points of the game.
That led to an Olsen triple, her third of the game to give Iowa its first lead of the night.
Affolter made another pair from the line after getting fouled on an offensive rebound. She’s at her best when she’s bringing physicality. She already has seven rebounds.
Olsen then made another triple and is 4-for-4 (!) from downtown.
The bad news: Stuelke was forced to the bench after picking up her second foul.
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Five quick points by Olsen forced a Rutgers timeout very quickly.
She’s up to 13 points already, seemingly carrying her momentum of late into tonight.
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Olsen did well to draw a shooting foul out of the timeout, get some easy points on the board, find her shooting stroke and give her team a small jolt of confidence.
A couple possessions later, Olsen grabbed a defensive rebound and went coast-to-coast for a layup, getting the lid off the basket for Iowa. She later swished a triple to get the crowd energized.
Affolter also made a pair at the free-throw line. She is the only other Hawkeye to score thus far.
The Hawkeyes also looked more engaged defensively out of the timeout and forced a couple shot-clock violations.
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Iowa just can’t seem to buy a bucket early, and a transition triple by Rutgers forced a timeout from Jan Jensen.
Iowa is shooting just 1-for-7 and has three turnovers. Jensen is probably telling her team to settle down and try to run a go-to play to generate an open shot.
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Feuerbach got called for a charge on the game’s first possession.
Rutgers deployed a halfcourt press to start and it seemingly threw the Hawkeyes off guard, forcing turnovers on their first couple of possessions.
Olsen then got the scoring started with a hustle putback off an offensive rebound.
It was a clunky start from both sides, combing to shoot 3-of-12 from the field.
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Let’s see if Iowa can keep its five-game winning streak alive!
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Iowa
Rutgers
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More:PODCAST: Iowa women’s basketball euphoria after USC win, Owen Freeman fallout
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RAYGUN, a Des Moines-based clothing store, released two new T-shirts this week to support Ava Jones and her battle with cancer.
More:RAYGUN makes shirts supporting Iowa women’s basketball’s Ava Jones after cancer diagnosis
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The Iowa women’s basketball vs. Rutgers game starts at 6:30 p.m. (CT) from Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
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The Iowa vs. Rutgers game can only be streamed on BTN+, which requires a subscription.
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Dargan Southard: The Hawkeyes take care of business despite some tense moments, setting the stage for next week’s big slate against two top-10 teams. Iowa 75, Rutgers 62
Full story:Iowa women’s basketball: 3 things to watch as Hawkeyes host Rutgers
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Record: 17-7, 7-6 Big Ten
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More:Lucy Olsen powering Iowa women’s basketball in 5-game winning streak
Game preview:Iowa women’s basketball: 3 things to watch as Hawkeyes host Rutgers
More:Leistikow: The beauty of Iowa women’s basketball shines amid officiating chaos at Nebraska
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Game story from reporter Dargan Southard
FINAL: 55-43 Iowa
Q4 4:48, 53-37 Iowa — Hawkeyes on track
End 3: 46-37 Iowa — Rutgers hanging around
Q3 4:27, 37-29 Iowa — Hawkeyes timeout
Q3 5:12, 37-27 Iowa — Good start for Hawkeyes
The second half is underway!
Halftime: 28-22 Iowa — Great 2nd quarter
Q2 4:48, 25-19 Iowa — Olsen can’t miss!
Q2 9:14, 17-15 Rutgers — Rutgers timeout
End 1: 14-10 Rutgers — Iowa finishes strong
Q1 5:29, 10-2 Rutgers — Iowa timeout
Q1 5:50, 7-2 Rutgers — Ugly start
The game is underway!
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Game Recap: Men’s Basketball | Feb 12
at Oregon
2/16/2025 | 7:00 PM
FS1
WFAN 101.9-FM / 660 AM
PISCATAWAY — Rutgers men’s basketball dropped its second consecutive game in a 84-73 defeat to Iowa Wednesday evening.
RU led for the first 10 minutes before Iowa’s Payton and Pryce Sandfort went on a 12-2 run, giving the Hawkeyes a 25-22 advantage. Grad student Tyson Acuff immediately responded with back-to-back-to-back triples that put Rutgers in front 31-25. RU entered the break with a 42-33 lead.
Five-star Ace Bailey got the scoring started in the second half with a strong drive to the cup. He finished with a team-high 13 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Captain Jeremiah Williams had an efficient performance scoring 13 points, six rebounds, and four assists himself on 67 percent shooting.
Rutgers assisted 19 of its 28 made shots. Five-star Dylan Harper had five assists but was quiet on the scoring front with 11 points.
Rutgers shot 8-for-14 from deep in the first half, and 10-for-25 overall.
RU’s bench accounted for 32 of its 73 points (44 percent) led by sophomore Jamichael Davis, captain Zach Martini, and Acuff. They shot a combined 8-for-15 from beyond the arc.
There were four ties and five lead changes before Iowa crept in front with Rutgers unable to recover. Rutgers led for 25 minutes throughout the match.
The majority of the second half was a one-possession game, including with 1:30 left when Rutgers trailed 76-73, but Iowa ended on an 8-0 run to put it away.
Iowa outscored Rutgers 51-31 in the second half and only committed two turnovers after coughing up seven through the first 20 minutes. Iowa scored 44 of its 84 points in the paint (52 percent).
Josh Dix led the way for the Hawkeyes with 26 points.
Rutgers falls to 12-13 (5-9 in conference play) while Iowa improves to 14-10 (5-8).
The Scarlet Knights begin their West Coast trip with Oregon (17-8, 6-8) on Sunday, Feb. 16 – tipping off at 7 pm on FS1 followed by a trip to Seattle to face Washington (12-11, 3-9) on Wednesday, Feb. 19.
Postgame Notes
Next Game:
Team Statistics
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
#5 Aundre Hyatt
#3 Mawot Mag
#0 Derek Simpson
#24 Austin Williams
#1 Jamichael Davis
#25 Jeremiah Williams
#2 Dylan Harper
#4 Ace Bailey
#5 Tyson Acuff
#99 Zach Martini
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
33 | 51 | 84 |
|
|
42 | 31 | 73 |
| Game Stats | Iowa | RU |
|---|---|---|
| FG% | .507 | .483 |
| 3FG% | .280 | .400 |
| FT% | .900 | .875 |
| RB | 34 | 30 |
| TO | 9 | 15 |
| STL | 8 | 3 |
Iowa closes on 8-0 run to beat Rutgers 84-73 for its first Big Ten road victory this season
Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Game Highlights
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — — Josh Dix scored 26 points, Payton Sandfort added 20 and Iowa closed on an 8-0 run to beat Rutgers 84-73 on Wednesday night for its first Big Ten road victory this season in six attempts.
Iowa has beaten Rutgers eight times in the last nine matchups.
Pryce Sandfort made a driving layup with 52.9 seconds left to give Iowa a 78-73 lead and he deflected a pass at the other end, leading to two free throws by Payton Sandfort for a seven-point lead.
Dix added two more free throws and Brock Harding sealed it with a steal and fast-break layup.
Rutgers (12-13, 5-9) dropped below .500 for the first time this season.
Harding finished with 13 points and Pryce Sandfort chipped in 10 for Iowa (14-10, 5-8).
Ace Bailey and Jeremiah Williams each scored 13 points for Rutgers (12-13, 5-9). Tyson Acuff had 12, Dylan Harper, averaging 19.1 points per game, added 11 and Jamichael Davis 10.
Rutgers led 42-33 at halftime after five different players made a 3-pointer. The Scarlet Knights were 8 of 14 from distance, led by Tyson Acuff’s three makes.
Payton Sandfort made a 3-pointer with 10 minutes left in the first half for a 21-20 lead, but Iowa missed its next 14 shots from distance. The Hawkeyes made three of their next four to take a 56-53 lead on Dix’s make with 9:46 left.
Iowa stays on the road to play No. 25 Maryland on Sunday, when Rutgers plays at Oregon.
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IOWA
RUTG
Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Game Highlights
Game Information
| 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|
| IOWA | 33 | 51 | 84 |
| RUTG | 42 | 31 | 73 |
