The 20th-ranked Iowa women’s basketball (8-1) team suffered their first loss of the season in Saturday’s Shark Beauty Champions Classic game vs. Tennessee (7-0) from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Tennessee used a closing 16-3 run en route to a 78-68 win over Iowa.
As a team, the Hawkeyes shot 46.0% from the field, 21.4% from deep and 82.6% from the charity stripe. But, Iowa’s offense went dry in the game’s final 4:38, killing the Hawkeyes‘ hopes.
In addition to the tragic scoring drought that ended the game, Iowa’s offense turned the ball over 30 times, which Tennessee converted into 42 points.
On defense, Iowa only mustered nine forced turnovers, including four steals and two blocks on the night. The Hawkeyes did hold Tennessee to 39.0% shooting from the floor.
Although the trip to Brooklyn did not end as Iowa had hoped, here are three stars that shined for the Hawkeyes on Saturday.
Lucy Olsen
Senior guard Lucy Olsen returned from her two-game injury absence to lead Iowa in scoring on Saturday with 23 points on 7-for-14 (50%) shooting from the floor and 9-for-9 (100%) from the free throw line. Olsen also added five assists and three rebounds to round out her 33 minutes of playing time.
While the Hawkeyes ultimately fell short, the ability for Olsen to quickly bounce back into a reliable scoring threat off an injury absence was crucial for Iowa’s effort against the Lady Volunteers.
Addison O’Grady
Senior center Addison O’Grady had another solid performance Saturday, finishing with 17 points on 8-for-11 (72.7%) shooting from the floor and 1-for-2 from the charity stripe. She also added a team-leading 11 rebounds to go along with two assists and one block in her 29 minutes of game time.
Despite losing the points in the paint battle to Tennessee by a 44-34 margin, O’Grady’s dominance down low remains a vital avenue of scoring production for the Hawkeyes no matter the opponent.
Hannah Stuelke
Junior forward Hannah Stuelke had a quiet night offensively by only scoring eight points off a dastardly 1-for-8 (12.5%) shooting from the field, but she made up for the poor shooting performance by converting on 6-of-8 (75%) free throws.
Stuelke also added 10 rebounds, five assists, and one steal in 37 minutes of playing time.
While Stuelke has certainly had better shooting days, her relentless effort to collect rebounds and dish out assists was impactful for the Hawkeyes on Saturday as they attempted to match the scoring pace of Tennesssee.
Next up for the Hawkeyes will be the annual Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Classic vs. No. 19 Iowa State from Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 11.
Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT and will air on FS1. As always, the game will also be available through the radio on the Hawkeyes Radio Network.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions.
Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews
