Iowa women's basketball cruises by BYU to finish perfect week at Cancun Challenge

Iowa women’s basketball cruises by BYU to finish perfect week at Cancun Challenge

Posted by Admin November 30, 2024 Basketball

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One day after looking a bit disjointed without its starting point guard, Iowa women’s basketball found itself in the same situation Friday at the Cancun Challenge.

The Hawkeyes‘ follow-up effort was much more emphatic.

No. 24 Iowa took control early against BYU, found extra cushion in the third quarter and ultimately rolled to a 68-48 win to finish 2-0 at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya in Cancun, Mexico. Lucy Olsen again sat out with the knee gash she suffered in practice ahead of Thursday’s win over Rhode Island, but Iowa (8-0) clearly had a better handle on the adjustment this time.

A 10-3 surge to start the third quarter ballooned a 25-19 halftime advantage into a more comfortable 35-22 lead. Iowa’s cushion didn’t dip below double digits the rest of the way thanks to another stifling defensive effort.

The Hawkeyes held down BYU standout Delaney Gibb, who entered as the fifth-highest-scoring freshman in the country. Gibb mustered just six points on 1-for-9 shooting, part of BYU’s overall offensive struggles that included a 7-for-23 showing from deep.

With the Cougars (6-2) locked up, Iowa’s offense found enough juice without Olsen to remove all late drama. Hannah Stuelke poured in a game-high 16 points on two treys and got double-digit assistance from Addi O’Grady (12 points) and Aaliyah Guyton (11 points). Three treys from the freshman point guard accentuated a productive performance overall from deep (11-for-23), the most treys Iowa has hit since the season-opener.

Buoyed by another elite defensive effort that had another foe struggling for consistency, the Hawkeyes conquered their Cancun trip while taking more steps forward. The Olsen injury was unfortunate, but Iowa’s response was nearly perfect.

Iowa now has more than a week off before returning to action Dec. 7 vs. Tennessee in Brooklyn. The schedule is about to intensify with Big Ten play looming later in December, so getting to this point with minimal issues was imperative. Consider Iowa ahead of schedule in that regard.

Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.