Iowa women’s basketball (15-7, 5-6) earned their biggest win of the season with a 76-69 upset win vs. No. 4 USC (19-2, 9-1 Big Ten) Sunday afternoon from a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena prior to raising Iowa legend Caitlin Clark’s No. 22 to the rafters.
The Hawkeyes shot 25-for-56 (44.6%) from the field, 5-for-18 (27.8%) from long-range, and 21-for-28 (75.0%) from the free-throw line that powered Iowa to an enormous 19-point lead in the first quarter and helped the program close out the Trojans late in the fourth.
Defensively, the Hawkeyes were relentless by forcing 18 Trojans turnovers, including 11 steals and two blocks. Outside of the 27 points scored by USC’s leading scorer and sophomore phenom JuJu Watkins, who shot 8-for-22 (36.4%) from the field, Iowa held the remainder of the Trojan offense to 15-for-43 (34.9%) clips from the field.
With a spirited effort displayed by the Hawkeyes against the Trojans, here are three stars that allowed Iowa to pull off the potentially season-changing upset.
Lucy Olsen
Olsen was phenomenal for the Hawkeyes Sunday as she led the team in scoring with 28 points on 10-for-18 (55.6%) from the field and 8-for-9 (88.9%) from the charity stripe. She also registered four rebounds, four assists, and three steals to complete her 37-minute performance against the Trojans.
Olsen’s clutch scoring abilities proved to work wonders again for Iowa as her offensive contributions, paired with the Hawkeyes’ ferocious defensive play, allowed the team to regain the lead entering the third quarter and never let up.
Addison O’Grady
Along with Olsen, O’Grady’s impressive offensive showing powered the Hawkeyes to victory as she added 13 points to the team’s total through 6-for-8 (75.0%) from the field and 1-for-2 (50%) from the free-throw line. She also contributed four rebounds, one assist, and one block to round out her 20 minutes of action.
Particularly in the fourth quarter, she and Olsen took complete control of the game by combining for 23 of the Hawkeye’s 25 points scored to close out the win.
Considering Hannah Steulke ran into foul trouble early in the fourth frame, the ability for O’Grady to be a game-changer on offense, especially against a high-powered USC lineup, is part of why Iowa was able to pull off the upset.
Taylor McCabe
McCabe only finished with nine points off of 3-for-7 (42.9%) from both the field and three-point territory, with three rebounds and one assist in 24 minutes.
Despite only shooting from beyond the arc, McCabe’s proficiency from downtown early in the game allowed Iowa to create an energetic environment inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena as the Hawkeyes jumped out to an 18-4 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Iowa will hit the road for their next matchup on Thursday night, where the Hawkeyes will visit Williams Arena for a clash vs. Minnesota (18-5, 6-5 Big Ten) in Minneapolis, Minn. The game will be broadcast nationally on the Big Ten Network (BTN), with a tip-off set for 7 p.m. CT.
This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Three stars from Iowa women’s basketball win vs USC
