Riding a five-game winning streak heading into Thursday night’s matchup, Iowa women’s basketball (18-7, 8-6) won 55-43 against Rutgers (10-15, 2-12 Big Ten) from Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
As a team, the Hawkeyes shot 20-for-54 (37%) from the field, 7-for-23 (30.4%) from beyond the arc, and 8-for-12 (66.7%) from the charity stripe. Iowa also controlled the point production from the paint once again by widely outscoring Rutgers, 22-8.
Defensively, Iowa forced 18 turnovers, including six steals and two blocks. The Hawkeyes were able to stifle the Scarlet Knights’ attack all night by drawing numerous charging fouls and disrupting Rutgers’ offensive rhythm.
With the Hawkeyes securing a sixth consecutive victory Thursday night, here are the three stars that made the most impact.
Lucy Olsen
Senior guard Lucy Olsen continued her impeccable play by finishing with a team-leading 27 points off 11-for-19 (57.9%) shooting from the floor, 4-for-5 (80%) from deep, and 1-for-4 (25%) from the charity stripe in 39 minutes. She also registered four rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block to close out her night.
Olsen’s performance is yet another showing where she single-handedly took over the game with her superior offensive talent. For Iowa to go far in the Big Ten Tournament and potentially the NCAA Tournament, the Hawkeyes will need this type of production to continue down the stretch.
Thursday night also saw Olsen surpass 500 career assists, which the Hawkeyes hope to add on to before her career comes to a close.
Sydney Affolter
Senior guard Sydney Affolter had another impressive game Thursday night as she scored 10 points on 2-for-7 (28.6%) shooting from the floor, 2-for-5 (40%) from deep, and 4-for-4 (100%) from the free throw line. Affolter also registered a team-leading 14 rebounds, two assists, and one steal in 36 minutes of action.
Affolter’s stellar rebounding presence has become a staple for the Hawkeyes lately, as she has recorded 14 rebounds in two of Iowa’s last three games and at least 13 rebounds in four of the last eight.
Hawkeyes Defense
Iowa’s defense was relentless against Rutgers by forcing 18 turnovers, drawing numerous offensive foul calls, and limiting the Scarlet Knights’ top offensive threats to 20 points on 7-for-35 (20%) shooting from the floor.
The Hawkeyes were particularly strong defensively in the second and fourth quarters as they held Rutgers to eight points in the second and six in the fourth.
This impressive defensive effort will need to be replicated again as the Hawkeyes take on No. 8 Ohio State in their next contest.
Iowa travels to Columbus, Ohio, for a clash against Ohio State (21-3, 9-3) from the Schottenstein Center on Feb. 17. Tipoff is scheduled for 11 a.m CT and will be broadcast on Fox.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Three stars from Iowa women’s basketball win vs Rutgers
