Iowa women's basketball rides defense past Kansas, off to best start in 7 years

Iowa women’s basketball rides defense past Kansas, off to best start in 7 years

Posted by Admin November 21, 2024 Basketball

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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. − Kansas sophomore Laia Conesa had what looked like a breakaway layup opportunity early in Wednesday night’s second quarter. But behind her, two blonde flashes began to close – Lucy Olsen from her left, Kylie Feuerbach from her right.

Just as Conesa appeared set to score, Olsen and Feuerbach arrived. Feuerbach slapped the ball, which caromed off Conesa’s body and out of bounds. Instead of two Kansas points, it was one Kansas turnover.

That was the type of defensive effort that defined Iowa women’s basketball’s early control of the Jayhawks and led to a never-in-doubt 71-58 win before 3,347 fans at the sold-out Sanford Pentagon.

And for the first time in seven years – Megan Gustafson’s junior season – Iowa is off to a 5-0 start.

In a span of four days, the Hawkeyes have handled two teams that were in last year’s NCAA Tournament – a tough road test Sunday at Drake and now a “neutral” game against the previously unbeaten Jayhawks (4-1) of the Big 12 Conference.

For new Iowa head coach Jan Jensen, things really couldn’t be going much better.

Olsen has been as good as advertised, being steady all season, and scored another 16 points on Wednesday to go with six assists.

Hannah Stuelke looks sharp and aggressive after offseason knee surgery. She registered a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds against Kansas. Plus, she’s been playing terrific on defense.

Addison O’Grady has been the surprise of the team. Though she was held to a season-low nine points against a scrappy, smaller opponent, she has been a revelation with a 15.2 scoring average through five games.

The freshmen are playing key minutes and playing well. Taylor Stremlow came off the bench with five first-quarter points, and Teagan Mallegni rained in two long second-quarter 3-pointers to help extend Iowa’s halftime lead to 38-27. Center Ava Heiden offered some nice minutes and chipped in four points after getting shut out against Virginia Tech and Drake.

And this pro-Hawkeye place was hopping in the second half. “Let’s go Hawks” chants were raining down after Taylor McCabe’s 3-pointer and O’Grady’s baby hook pushed Iowa’s lead to 54-37 with 3:33 left in the third quarter.

The Hawkeyes’ victory was defined, though, by a first-quarter defense that allowed them to take an 18-4 lead through 10 minutes. Kansas had 18 possessions and scored only twice, hitting 1-for-12 from the field with five turnovers and zero offensive rebounds.

All nine Hawkeyes who played scored, with Feuerbach getting all five of her points in the fourth quarter to put this one away after Kansas closed to within 60-50.

Up next for Iowa: A Sunday home game against Washington State, followed by matchups against Rhode Island and BYU over Thanksgiving in Cancun. Then it’s the FOX-televised matchup with Tennessee on Dec. 7 in Brooklyn, N.Y., before the Dec. 11 Cy-Hawk showdown with Iowa State.

This schedule has done a good job giving the Hawkeyes ample tests, and so far they have passed them all.

Hawkeyes columnist Chad Leistikow has served for 30 years with The Des Moines Register and USA TODAY Sports Network. Chad is the 2023 INA Iowa Sports Columnist of the Year and NSMA Co-Sportswriter of the Year in Iowa. Join Chad’s text-message group (free for subscribers) at HawkCentral.com/HawkeyesTexts. Follow @ChadLeistikow on X.