Iowa transfer Lucy Olsen and a loud home crowd helped the Hawkeyes defeat rival Iowa State

IOWA CITY, Iowa – With the sound level at 115 decibels during a turbulent fourth quarter, the Iowa women’s basketball team rallied from an eight-point deficit to beat No. 18 Iowa State 75- at a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Wednesday. 69.

It was No. 21 Iowa’s ninth straight home win over the 2008 rival Cyclones and eighth win in nine total meetings. Near the end of the fourth quarter, the roar drowned out the announcer for buckets.

“Lucy Olson was just so much fun and joy,” Iowa coach Jan Jensen said of the transfer who joined the Hawkeyes this season. “The very first exhibition game, their eyes said, ‘Oh my God, this is incredible.’ And I said, ‘Well, wait until we actually get to the game that the fans won’t give up their tickets for, right?’ You won’t believe what it’s going to be like.'”

Mood 😎#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/kctcMjP4fs

— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) December 12, 2024

Iowa State (8-3) led the hard-fought matchup for all but 19 seconds of the first 35 minutes of play. But the Hawkeyes (9-1) took the lead for good at 62-61 with 4:17 left through forward Hannah Stuelke. It was part of a 9-0 run in the fourth quarter that gave Iowa a six-point lead that the Cyclones couldn’t overcome.

“It was so loud in there,” Olsen said. “(Sydney Affolters) says, ‘We don’t change screens.’ I say, “I can’t hear the screen calling.” It was really fun. I’ve never been in anything like this.”

Iowa responds

After the Hawkeyes suffered their first loss to Tennessee last week, Jensen, the first-year coach, wondered how her team would respond.

“If you learn how everyone loses, then you can kind of know what your future is,” said Jensen, who took over this season after serving as a longtime assistant to former Hawkeyes coach Lisa Bluder. “After watching everyone adjust and do a little trick to turn the page pretty quickly, I thought, all right, I think we have something for this rivalry.”

It was Olsen’s first time playing in an intense home atmosphere, and Villanova’s senior transfer transcended the moment. She scored a team-high 25 points and had five assists with no turnovers in nearly 37 minutes. For much of the first half, Olsen kept the Hawkeyes afloat offensively while her teammates struggled.

In the final period of the game, Stuelke and Affolter, along with Olsen, scored 16 of Iowa’s final 19 points. The exception was a 3-pointer from freshman Aaliyah Guyton with 42 seconds left that sealed the win.

It was one of the first times that Olsen, Affolter and Stuelke played alongside each other for a long period of time. Stuelke underwent offseason knee surgery while Affolter underwent knee surgery in October. Then two weeks ago in Cancun, Olsen’s leg was cut open in a freak accident, causing her to miss time.

Iowa State is looking for answers

Sophomore Audi Crooks was nearly unstoppable for Iowa State. She scored 31 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Her ability to score in a variety of ways — not just at the rim — left Jensen wondering how she would defend the Cyclones’ post.

“I didn’t think we would shut them down completely,” Jensen said. “It’s hard to double her because no matter where you put the double, (she has) this beautiful Dirk Nowitzki-like fade. She has an incredible ability to keep up and fade.”

Lucy Olsen has it, Audi Crooks too. The best atmosphere at Carver in several months

Here are your Cy Hawk highlights from the first half pic.twitter.com/Zl7oRqDbHg

– Blake Hornstein (@BlakeHornTV) December 12, 2024

Three problems hurt the Cyclones over the course of the game. Iowa State struggled at the free throw line, making just 6 of 16 attempts. A foul forced second-leading scorer Addy Brown to the bench, which was crucial. Brown played in just 19 minutes and scored 13 points.

Before the game, Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly announced that junior guard Kenzie Hare would miss the remainder of the season and undergo surgery to repair a lingering hip injury. Hare started eight games and averaged 8.3 points as the Cyclones’ third-leading scorer.

“It’s hard to take Addy Brown out of the game because of foul trouble,” Fennelly said. “It’s a big loss, and especially with the Kenzie situation, we had trouble kind of eating up the minutes.

“I thought our kids played really, really hard. Obviously foul trouble and some limited minutes with some guys hurt us, but it was a great game. I’m really proud of how we performed in a difficult environment.”

(Photo: Keith Gillett / IconSportswire)