Iowa
Iowa women’s basketball unleashes offensive clinic, ends skid with rout of Washington
Lucy Olsen has a perfect night in Iowa’s 85-61 win over Washington
The Iowa senior went 8-for-8 from the field and scored 20 points with six assists, three days after a tough outing at Oregon.
SEATTLE, Wash. − Tension was escalating for the Iowa women’s basketball team in the final day of its trip to the Pacific Northwest.
Could the Hawkeyes finally put a five-game losing streak to rest? Or would the redeye flight home be filled with more anxiety, more questions?
As one successful flick after another from 3-point range swished through the nets at Alaska Airlines Arena, the smiles returned.
The high-powered scoring returned.
Lucy Olsen’s high-level play returned.
And the losing streak was dead.
The Hawkeyes unleashed a first-half shooting barrage to wipe away five games of frustration and kept it rolling to defeat host Washington, 85-61, in a clinical performance they desperately needed Wednesday night.
“We were sick of losing,” Iowa center Addison O’Grady said. “We wanted to leave here with one win, and we got it done tonight.”
At one point, the Hawkeyes had made 14 straight shots spanning nearly 15 minutes of game clock from early in the second quarter to midway through the third. It was that kind of night for the visitors, who shot 72% for the game (an efficient 33-for-46).
“On top of it being a win, it was just so good to see everyone play well and everyone play together,” Iowa junior Taylor McCabe said. “Just all of our weapons and pieces finally coming together and showing our stuff. I can’t stop smiling, honestly.”
Fittingly, it was McCabe who delivered Iowa’s first 3-pointer that provided a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. Her laser from deep put Iowa in front, 11-9, and the Hawkeyes (down 9-4 early) were just getting started.
Then Olsen connected from 3 (a theme for the night) to aid Iowa’s 26-point first quarter.
Then Affolter, Olsen and McCabe went deep to start the second quarter, boosting Iowa’s lead to 35-14.
Then McCabe. Then Olsen. Then, Teagan Mallegni rattled home her first deep shot for a commanding 48-20 Hawkeyes advantage with 2:30 left in the second quarter. (Remember, Iowa scored just 49 total points at Oregon on Sunday.)
Mallegni had been 0-for-11 from 3 in 2025 until that make.
In other words, everyone was hitting.
Iowa finished the first half a perfect 8-for-8 from 3-point range, and coupled with O’Grady’s smooth interior work, the halftime edge was a commanding 50-26.
The only question from there was how tenuous would Iowa’s lead become?
The answer: Not one bit.
Taylor McCabe: ‘I can’t stop smiling’ after Iowa dominates Washington
The Hawkeyes’ junior guard had 11 points and was a big piece of an offensive clinic in an 85-61 rout of the host Huskies.
Second-half collapses had defined Iowa’s two most recent losses, including Sunday’s 50-49 setback at Oregon to kick off this first long-distance road trip in the new Big Ten.
But the offensive onslaught continued, as another Olsen 3-pointer with 4:49 left in the third quarter pushed Iowa’s accuracy to 9-for-9 from deep and the lead to an incredible 65-34.
Olsen would finish with 20 points, three nights after a forgettable performance in a 50-49 loss at Oregon and her best total as a Hawkeye since scoring 25 vs. Iowa State on Dec. 11. The Villanova transfer went 8-for-8 from the floor and added six assists. O’Grady was a force down low with 17 points, her most ever in a Big Ten game. Kylie Feuerbach (12 points, 6-for-8 shooting) and McCabe (11 points) also finished in double figures.
“We were just trying to be perfect and do everything right, because we were losing,” Olsen said. “And we all want to win. So we’re like, ‘We gotta fix this, we gotta fix that.’ … Tonight, we’re like, ‘Let’s just go out and play and see what happens.’”
Jan Jensen’s postgame relief, thoughts after Iowa trounces Washington
Iowa coach Jan Jensen discusses why the Hawkeyes played well in this matchup, an 85-61 rout of the Huskies.
While it may sound silly to place NCAA Tournament implications on a Jan. 22 game, both teams were trying to collect a potential bubble-tipping victory. According to ESPN’s Charlie Crème, the premier bracketologist on the women’s side, Iowa and Washington entered Wednesday’s contest among the “Last Four In” the 68-team NCAA field.
Iowa, which entered the game at a respectable No. 37 in the NCAA NET rankings (Washington was No. 46), made sure it collected its first Quad 1 win of the season. The Hawkeyes (now 13-7 overall, 3-6 Big Ten) had been 0-5 in such games previously. Washington fell to 13-7, 4-4.
Had Iowa lost, it would’ve encountered its first six-game losing streak since January 1999, when Angie Lee was the head coach and Jan Jensen was still a Drake assistant under Lisa Bluder. Instead, Jensen got to see her team relax and smile again.
“We just kept talking about, ‘The breakthrough is coming.’ And they believed,” Jensen said. “There’s a lot of basketball left to be played. A lot of great opponents. The Big Ten is so tough. But I love how they’ve been showing up. And I’m just so happy they got a win, because they’ve been close and didn’t fall their way. And tonight, it was nice that it fell their way.”
Up next, a nice break after the redeye flight from the Seattle-Tacoma Airport that was scheduled to land in the early-morning hours in Cedar Rapids. The Hawkeyes don’t play again until Tuesday’s 7 p.m. home contest vs. Northwestern. That will allow more time for junior forward Hannah Stuelke, the team’s leading rebounder who missed a second straight game with a concussion, to have a chance to return.
Why Addison O’Grady had a big game in Iowa’s win at Washington
The Iowa senior scored 17 points against the Huskies and described the vanishing pressure off this Hawkeye team.
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.
Sometimes you see something you like and go right after it. That was the case with Iowa when it watched Dima Petrov kick a football last week. The Hawkeyes offered a full-ride scholarship to the specialist.
While the days of top kickers and punters walking on in hopes of maybe earning a scholarship when they were upperclassmen are gone, a junior picking up a scholarship is still uncommon. Iowa doing it gives it a leg up on whatever the competition might end up being.
“Iowa is definitely my No. 1 school at the moment,” he said. “Although it’s too early for me to make any big decisions, the likelihood of me becoming a Hawkeye is very high.”
Petrov (6-2, 190) also worked out for Wake Forest and UConn this month. The Hanover (N.H.) High all-stater was invited to camp at Virginia Tech, Arizona, Michigan State, Florida State and others. Interest in him is on the rise.
“Right now, it’s too early for me to make any big decisions. My plan is to commit in the next year or so, as soon as I’m 100 percent certain that I’ve found the right place. A lot of factors go into that, with the most significant one being education,” he said.
Petrov plans on majoring in Business. Iowa has a good one in the Tippie Business School.
“That was what my parents studied and then built their careers in, and I see my future in that same sphere,” he said.
The Hawkeyes did well in impressing a prospect visiting a state half a country away from his home.
“I had a fantastic time exploring all the incredible facilities and campus. Coach (Chris) Polizzi and the rest of the Hawkeyes’ special teams staff were absolutely amazing and made the visit unforgettable. I also loved how proud and passionate the whole city seemed about the program, which is something that you don’t see often.”
Access to advanced technology at Iowa also stood out.
“The workout with the Trackman system helped me identify other areas for improvement in my kicking by providing precise numbers,” he said.
After leaving Iowa, Petrov was invited to the Chris Sailer Kicking Showcase on Sunday. Following his performance, he’s now the second-ranked kicker nationally in the 2028 Class. Perhaps more offers will be on the way.
For now, the Hawkeyes are the leaders in the clubhouse. Petrov is looking forward to visiting them again.
“I can’t wait to come back to Iowa, hopefully very soon. I’d love to go on a game-day visit and see how electric Kinnick (Stadium) gets. Although I don’t know the exact dates yet, my plan is to be back there in the next few months,” he said.
Iowa State basketball forward Joshua Jefferson on being All-American
Iowa State basketball forward Joshua Jefferson on being a first team All-American.
Iowa State basketball forward Joshua Jefferson sat in the stands of the Barclays Center, the site of the 2026 NBA Draft, before he was selected in the first round on June 23.
Now he’ll be taking the court and calling that arena home. The Barclays Center is also the home venue for the Brooklyn Nets. Jefferson was drafted 28th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he was traded to the Nets shortly thereafter.
“Just seeing what they need for their team, they felt that I fit in a lot of spots because of my versatility,” Jefferson said of his pre-draft communication with the Nets organization. “I think I’m where I need to be. The Nets took a great chance with me, and I’m very thankful for that.”
The versatile 6-foot-9 Jefferson continues to put himself in exclusive Iowa State basketball company. A consensus All-American, Jefferson is the first Cyclone to be drafted since Tyrese Haliburton was taken 12th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. Dating back to 2000, Jefferson is the sixth Iowa State product to be a first-round draft selection, joining Marcus Fizer, Jamaal Tinsley, Craig Brackins, Royce White and Haliburton.
He’s looking forward to playing alongside other versatile big men, new Nets teammates Julius Randle and Michael Porter Jr.
“So much knowledge between the two, and I’m just going to be a sponge,” Jefferson said. “Asking them questions all the time and learning as much as I can. They’ve been through the ups and downs of the league, and it’s going to be on me to make sure that I’m seeking information.”
After starting out as a three-star recruit from Las Vegas, Nevada, Jefferson arrived at Iowa State as an under-the-radar transfer coming off a knee injury after two seasons at Saint Mary’s.
Once healthier, Jefferson had a breakout junior year in 2024-25 when he became the first player in Big 12 Conference history to record more than 450 points, 250 rebounds, 100 assists, 70 steals and 25 blocks in a season.
He followed up on his impressive introductory season in Ames with an All-American campaign as a senior in 2025-26. The do-it-all forward elevated his game in nearly every aspect on the court and showcased an improved perimeter jumper.
He averaged a career-best 16.4 points, with 7.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. He shot 47.1% overall and 34.5% from long range. Jefferson became the first player in school and Big 12 history to record multiple triple-doubles during conference play in a season.
Jefferson achieved the feat with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against West Virginia on Jan. 2, then followed up with 17 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists in a turnover-free outing in a win over UCF on Jan. 20.
He graduated from Iowa State as a two-time All-Big 12 player and the first Cyclone to earn consensus All-American honors since Georges Niang did so in 2016. He racked up 1,367 points, 737 rebounds, 352 assists, 179 steals and 70 blocks over his four years of college basketball, which includes two seasons at Saint Mary’s and two more at Iowa State.
Jefferson stands out with his versatility and toughness on both ends of the court. He can rumble down low but also possesses skills like a guard, from his playmaking ability, good decision-making and court vision. Defensively, he can guard multiple positions and is a strong rebounder.
“The thing about my game that’s going to translate pretty quickly is my physicality,” Jefferson said. “The NBA is a physical game right now, you have to be physical in the playoffs to win and that’s what I’m going to bring.
“Then, just going to continue working on my shot. Shooting it really well throughout this pre-draft process, a lot of reps. I think if I continue to do that, it’s going to keep me on the floor, and defending on both sides.”
Unfortunately for Jefferson, he didn’t get a proper ending to his collegiate career. He suffered an ankle injury in the opening minutes of the Cyclones’ first-round rout of Tennessee State in the NCAA Tournament. He missed the remainder of his team’s run in the Big Dance, and the short-handed Cyclones fell to Tennessee in the Sweet 16.
Now healthy and his NBA dreams realized, Jefferson is looking to start the next chapter of his basketball journey strong.
“When that injury happened, I feel like a lot of things were jeopardized from that, but going into pre-draft, I was like, just make the most of your workouts and attack rehab and then everything’s going to go how it needs to go,” Jefferson said. “Very blessed for this position that I’m in and just very thankful.”
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5
This story has been edited from its original publication to clarify that Jefferson was drafted by Minnesota and then traded to Brooklyn.
SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa (KUOO) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources continues to recommend no swimming at one beach in the Iowa Great Lakes.
Iowa DNR officials say Crandall’s Beach on the north shore of Big Spirit Lake continued to have high levels of E. coli bacteria in the latest tests conducted last week.
The agency says Emerson Bay, which was on the list of recommended no-swimming locations a week ago, has been removed from the designation as the levels there had dropped below the advisory guideline. Ainsworth Beach on the south side of Big Spirit Lake, along with those at Gull Point, Pikes Point and Marble Beach, were all listed as safe for swimming.
Officials caution that bacteria levels can change quickly depending on weather and other conditions.
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