After suffering a late-season two-game skid, Iowa women’s basketball (19-9, 9-8 Big Ten) responded with an impressive performance in a 79-66 win vs. Michigan (19-9, 10-7) on Wednesday night from Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Offensively, the Hawkeyes shot 24-for-57 (42.1%) from the floor, including 6-for-18 (33.3%) from beyond the arc and 7-of-9 (77.8%) from the charity stripe. Defensively, Iowa forced 16 Wolverine turnovers, including 12 steals.
While Michigan tried to claw back in both the third and fourth quarters, Iowa’s offense kept the Wolverines out of reach through consistent offense and stifling defense.
As Iowa secures another impactful Quad 1 win on Wednesday, here are the three stars that helped power the Hawkeyes to victory.
Sydney Affolter
Wednesday night could be classified as a “Sydney Affolter Legacy Game,” as the senior guard led the Hawkeyes in scoring with a career-high 24 points on 9-for-12 (75%) from the floor, 4-for-4 (100%) from deep and 2-for-3 (66.7%) from the charity stripe.
In addition to her scoring, Affolter registered 11 rebounds, three assists, and two steals to close out her career-best performance.
For Affolter, this type of performance is very much deserving for how much effort she puts into every game for the Hawkeyes this season and through the previous three campaigns.
Lucy Olsen
Olsen once again shined for the Hawkeyes as she finished with 20 points on 8-for-16 (50%) from the floor and 4-for-6 (66.7%) from deep. She also registered five rebounds, three assists, and three steals to finish out her night.
While Olsen’s performance is nothing new, her ability to bounce back from a disappointing finish against UCLA on Sunday is worthy of high praise, given the ups and downs of the Hawkeyes’ regular season.
Hannah Stuelke
Stuelke, whose offensive impact has been overlooked as of late due to the other Hawkeyes that have excelled, recorded her third-consecutive and 56th career double-digit scoring performance on Wednesday with 13 points on 4-for-9 (44.4%) from the floor and 5-for-6 (83.3%) from the free-throw line. The junior forward also recorded five rebounds, two assists, and one steal to bookend her performance.
While others have stepped up for the Hawkeyes lately, Stuelke’s stabilizing presence has allowed the Hawkeyes to perform at their best and continue to test the conference’s top programs.
Iowa will return home to Carver-Hawkeye Arena for their final game of the regular season on Sunday with an evening matchup vs. Wisconsin (13-14, 4-12). The game is designated as “Senior Day,” with Lucy Olsen, Sydney Affolter, Kylie Feuerbach, Addison O’Grady, and AJ Ediger receiving honors for their contributions as Hawkeyes.
Sunday’s game against the Badgers will be broadcast on Peacock (Subscription Required) and on-air through the Hawkeyes Radio Network with a tip-off time set for 3 p.m. CT.
This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Three stars from key Iowa women’s basketball victory vs Michigan
