IOWA CITY — Even after three successful seasons at Villanova, Lucy Olsen was still amazed by the sight of the crowd that awaited the Iowa women’s basketball team on Tuesday.
“You could definitely feel the energy. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to running out of that tunnel and seeing all the people there,” Olsen said. “I’m trying to take it all in. Before you know it, the season will be halfway over.”
Olsen gave her new home fans plenty to cheer about in the first game of the season for the new-look Hawkeyes. The former first-team All-Big East selection led Iowa with 19 points and seven assists in a 91-73 win over Northern Illinois, making a winner out of Jan Jensen in her debut as Hawkeye head women’s basketball coach.
“It’s nice to get that first one. Sometimes, too much is made of it, but I understand why,” Jensen said. “Lucy is so selfless. We’re encouraging her to lean in and go with her gut. When that chemistry starts to settle in, the more I think she’ll go with that and not hesitate to take a shot when it’s there.”
Olsen was one of six players to score in double figures as the Hawkeyes (1-0) showcased the depth that Jensen hopes will allow Iowa to build off the success established by Lisa Bluder, who retired during the offseason as head coach after leading the Hawkeyes to the NCAA national championship game each of the past two years. Playing the first game in five years without Caitlin Clark, the all-time leading scorer in the history of NCAA women’s basketball, Iowa pulled away in the second quarter scoring 30 points in the period to build an 11-point halftime lead after hanging on to a slim 15-14 advantage after the opening 10 minutes of the game.
“We had moments early. We just kind of lacked consistency,” Jensen said. “When we really worked our offense and did that consistently, we had some big runs.
“With these games, you’re still trying to figure out who your people are. You’re trying to figure out the right combination.”
Kylie Feuerbach added 14 points as part of a game even Clark never produced, coming within one rebound of a double-double grabbing nine boards as well as six steals and five assists. The Iowa redshirt senior became the first Hawkeye player since Chase Coley in 2009 to record over 10 points, five assists, five steals and five rebounds in a single game.
“I’m not always expecting that to happen. I just focus on working hard and whatever happens for me happens,” Feuerbach said. “Being consistent in the gym and knowing that I put in the extra work, I know I’m going to have those teammates around me. It all kind of comes with getting more shots up. That’s what has given me more confidence to take those shots.”
Iowa began to heat up as a team after hitting just 30 percent from the field in the opening quarter. The Hawkeyes shot over 70 percent in the second quarter, making 12 of 17 field goal attempts to open up a double-digit lead over the Huskies.
“It would have been great to win by 35, but we know what we need to work on now,” Olsen said. “You need to fight through the hard times. Nothing is ever going to go your way all the time.”
Iowa also got significant contributions from several new faces. Teagan Mallegni scored 14 points for the Hawkeyes, including eight in the third quarter, producing the most points of any true freshman in her debut since Clark opened her historic four-year career at Iowa with 27 points in a win over Northern Iowa in 2020.
Taylor Stremlow, meanwhile, made her presence felt on the defensive end joining Clark and Kate Martin as the only Iowa guards since 2020 to record three blocks in a single game. Both Stremlow and Mallegni are freshmen that Jensen hope are just getting started in a pair of successful Hawkeye careers.
“We have a really good freshman class,” Jensen said. “Taylor Stremlow has that feel. She’s the rare freshman that plays without fear. She doesn’t make a bad pass and worry immediately if she’s going to be pulled out. She’s going to make that pass. There are still some things she needs to work on in terms of decisions on the court, but I love what I saw out of her on the court.
“Teagan and Taylor are doing a great job coming in and going with their moments.”
Addison O’Grady added 12 points in 14 minutes. Taylor McCabe scored 11 points, matching Hannah Stuelke who scored 11 points in the second half while grabbing six rebounds.
“This is a game when you can get a little frustrated because you feel like you should be doing some things better,” Jensen said. “We’ve got a lot of depth, but we’re also very young. It’s probably good that this game allowed us to not look so good at times. There are things we can focus on the things we need to improve, because it ramps up for us on Sunday.”
Iowa gets an early-season test in North Carolina, taking on Virginia Tech at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte. Tip-off is set for 4:30 p.m.
