Iowa
Iowa transfer Lucy Olsen and a loud home crowd helped Hawkeyes take down rival Iowa State
IOWA CITY, Iowa – With a sound meter hitting 115 decibels throughout a raucous fourth quarter, the Iowa women’s basketball team rallied from an eight-point deficit to beat No. 18 Iowa State 75-69 Wednesday at sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
It was No. 21 Iowa’s ninth consecutive home victory over the rival Cyclones dating to 2008 and eighth win in nine meetings overall. By the late fourth quarter, the roar drowned out the public address announcer after buckets.
“Lucy Olson has just been so fun and a joy,” Iowa coach Jan Jensen said of the transfer who joined the Hawkeyes this season. “The very first exhibition game her eyes were like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is amazing.’ And I said, ‘Well, wait until we really hit the game that the fans are not going to give up their tickets for, right? You’re not going to believe what it’s going to be like.’”
Vibes 😎#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/kctcMjP4fs
— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) December 12, 2024
Iowa State (8-3) led the highly competitive matchup for all but 19 seconds over the first 35 minutes of action. But the Hawkeyes (9-1) took the lead for good on forward Hannah Stuelke’s at 62-61 with 4:17 left. It was part of a 9-0 run in the fourth quarter that gave Iowa a six-point lead that the Cyclones could not overcome.
“It was so loud in there,” Olsen said. “(Sydney Affolter’s) like, ‘We’re not switching the screens.’ I’m like, ‘I can’t hear the screen being called.’ It was really fun. I’ve never been in anything like it.”
Iowa responds
After the Hawkeyes suffered their first loss last week against Tennessee, first-year coach Jensen questioned how her team would respond.
“When you learn how everybody loses, then you can kind of know what you have moving forward,” said Jensen, who took over this season after serving as a longtime Hawkeyes assistant to former coach Lisa Bluder. “After I watched everybody kind of adapt and turn the page pretty quickly with a little bit of a chip, I thought, all right, I think we got something for this rivalry.”
It was Olsen’s first exposure playing in an intense home atmosphere, and the senior transfer from Villanova exceeded the moment. She scored a team-high 25 points and added five assists with no turnovers in nearly 37 minutes. For much of the first half, Olsen kept the Hawkeyes afloat offensively as her teammates struggled.
In the game’s final stretch, Stuelke and Affolter combined with Olsen to score 16 of Iowa’s final 19 points. The exception was a 3-pointer from freshman Aaliyah Guyton with 42 seconds left that sealed the victory.
It was one of the first times that Olsen, Affolter and Stuelke all played alongside one another for significant stretches. Stuelke had offseason knee surgery, while Affolter underwent a knee procedure in October. Then Olsen’s leg was sliced in a freak accident two weeks ago in Cancun, causing her to miss time.
Iowa State looks for answers
Sophomore Audi Crooks was almost unstoppable for Iowa State. She scored 31 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Her ability to score in multiple ways — not just at the rim — led to Jensen questioning herself on how to defend the Cyclones’ post.
“I didn’t think we were possibly going to shut her totally down,” Jensen said. “It’s hard to double her because no matter where you bring the double, (she has) that beautiful, like kind of Dirk Nowitzki fade. She has an unbelievable ability to step and fade.”
Lucy Olsen’s got game, so does Audi Crooks. The best atmosphere at Carver in several months
Here’s your first half Cy-Hawk highlights pic.twitter.com/Zl7oRqDbHg
— Blake Hornstein (@BlakeHornTV) December 12, 2024
Three issues hurt the Cyclones throughout the game. Iowa State struggled at the free-throw line, making only 6 of 16 attempts. Foul trouble forced second-leading scorer Addy Brown to the bench, which was critical. Brown played in only 19 minutes and scored 13 points.
Before the game, Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly announced junior guard Kenzie Hare will miss the remainder of the season and will have surgery to repair an ongoing hip injury. Hare started eight games and averaged 8.3 points as the Cyclones’ third-leading scorer.
“It’s hard to have Addy Brown out of the game in foul trouble,” Fennelly said. “That’s a huge loss, and especially with Kenzie situation, we kind of struggled to kind of eat up the minutes.
“I thought our kids played really, really hard. Obviously foul trouble and some limited minutes with some people hurt us, but it was a great game. I’m really proud of the way we competed in a tough environment.”
(Photo: Keith Gillett / IconSportswire)
Iowa
Groundbreaking held for Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity’s 16th Woman Build
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) — Volunteers broke ground Saturday for Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity’s 16th Woman Build, honoring a retired University of Iowa nursing professor.
Liz Swanson, a retired nursing professor, was chosen as this year’s honoree for her decades of impact. The Women Build program focuses on including women in every step of home construction.
While the home is built in Swanson’s honor, it will go to a fellow nurse and mother of three. The family applied through the affordable housing program.
Swanson said she’s proud to be part of a project that directly connects to her nursing legacy.
“It’s very special to have the unique opportunity to help the nurse who is working nights,” Swanson said.
Swanson said stable housing gives families the security to plan for the future.
“It means security for families. We talked briefly to the children and they said, ‘we’re gonna have our own bedroom,’” Swanson said.
Volunteers are set to begin work on the home in August. Those interested in volunteering can find more information here.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
Iowa
Iowa Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 Midday results for May 8, 2026
The Iowa Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big with rewards ranging from $1,000 to millions. The most an Iowan has ever won from playing the lottery was $343 million in 2018 off the Powerball.
Don’t miss out on the winnings. Here’s a look at Friday, May 8, 2026, winning numbers for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from May 8 drawing
37-47-49-51-58, Mega Ball: 16
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick-3 numbers from May 8 drawing
Midday: 0-5-8
Evening: 9-9-2
Check Pick-3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick-4 numbers from May 8 drawing
Midday: 0-2-7-3
Evening: 0-7-0-6
Check Pick-4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 8 drawing
14-16-21-43-51, Bonus: 03
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Iowa Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 3 (Day): 12:20 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 3 (Evening): 10:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 4 (Day): 12:20 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 4 (Evening): 10:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Iowa editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Iowa
Iowa SNAP restrictions raise concerns over confusion, impact on summer food aid
IOWA — Iowa’s new restrictions on SNAP benefits are drawing concern from advocates who say the changes could make it harder for families to buy food and could put future summer assistance for children at risk.
The state’s SNAP waiver took effect January 1, 2026, limiting what items can be purchased based on Iowa’s taxable food list. While that includes widely discussed restrictions on soda and candy, the policy also affects certain prepared foods, creating confusion for shoppers.
“Something as small as whether or not a utensil is included in a food item actually impacts whether or not you can continue to purchase that item using your SNAP benefits,” Paige Chickering, Iowa State Manager for the Save the Children Action Network, said.
Advocates say the rules can be difficult to navigate, especially for people relying on quick meals. Items like prepackaged salads or sandwiches may or may not qualify depending on how they are packaged.
At the same time, new legislation slated for the next session at the statehouse could make those restrictions more permanent by requiring Iowa to continue seeking federal approval for the waiver.
That’s raising additional concerns about the future of Summer EBT, also known as “Sun Bucks,” which provides food assistance to children when school is out.
“This makes that food assistance dependent on a decision made in Washington, D.C. that is just arbitrary and not really dependent on the needs of Iowans and Iowa children,” Chickering said.
The program is expected to help around 220,000 children in Iowa during the summer months. Advocates worry leaving it up to federal approval of the waiver could jeopardize that support if policies change. They also point out that SNAP plays a major role in addressing hunger compared to other resources.
“We know that for every one meal provided by an emergency feeding organization, SNAP provides nine,” Chickering said.
Advocates say they support improving nutrition but argue there are more effective, evidence based ways to do that without limiting food choices.
For now, organizations across Iowa are working to help families understand the new rules, while also pushing lawmakers to reconsider how the policy could impact food access moving forward.
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