Iowa
Oklahoma 96, Iowa 62: OUtmuscled
Oklahoma 96, Iowa 62: OUtmuscled
NORMAN — Sixth-seeded Iowa fell in the round of 32 on Monday, losing 96-62 to third-seeded Oklahoma in Norman to close the 2024-25 season. In what was a physical contest from the tip, the Sooners were the aggressor against the Hawkeyes.
Oklahoma’s size, strength and speed were simply too much for Iowa, who didn’t have the physical prowess to matchup with the Sooners. OU not only out-rebounded Iowa, 64-33, but the Hawkeyes couldn’t match Oklahoma’s shooting. OU shot 33-of-81 (40.7%) from the floor and 19-of-27 from the free throw line to Iowa’s 24-of-66 (36.3%) from the field and 4-of-7 (57.1%) from the free throw line.
“They’re really good. They’re athletes. They hit the portal hard,” head coach Jan Jensen said following the loss. “They’re bigger, faster, stronger. I told you yesterday the degree of difficulty to guard all that.”
The rebounding margin was the strongest indicator of the difference between the two teams.
“I think going into the game, that was definitely something we knew was going to be a key. They definitely got a majority of the second-chance points. That was from the rebounds,” said Kylie Feuerbach, who finished with 14 points and six rebounds. “They did a great job at positioning. We probably could have done a little better. But we knew going into the game their box-outs and rebounds would be really important.”
Sydney Affolter, Iowa’s leading rebounder against OU with nine, added that the game was more physical than the Hawkeyes were used to.
“The refs definitely let us play,” she said. “They have some big girls, big posts and big guards all around. We could have done a lot better on the boards. I thought we did a little bit better in the second half. They crashed pretty hard.”
“We knew going in that SEC teams are really physical — a lot more than the Big Ten,” starting center Hannah Stuelke said. “They’re just an amazing rebounding team. That’s something they hang their hat on.”
The boards weren’t the only place the Hawkeyes had a disadvantage.
Though it certainly wasn’t all at the hands of the officials, — and no one on Iowa’s roster will tell you it was — Stuelke and the Hawkeyes definitely didn’t benefit from the officiating on Monday evening.
The most glaring call came in the beginning of the second half, when Stuelke made a reverse layup and inadvertently made contact with Raegan Beers‘ face with her off hand. The officials went to the monitor and handed Stuelke an “intentional foul” that not only gave the Sooners two free throws (which were made by Payton Verhulst, who finished with 16 points) and the possession, but shifted momentum heavily in the favor of OU.
“It was an accident,” Stuelke said after the game. “I have no control over that, so I don’t know. I’ve never been called for an intentional before. That was my first one. I elbowed her in the face on accident.”
Stuelke added that the officials didn’t explain the reasoning for the call to her. Jensen was disappointed with the decision by the officials for several reasons.
“I didn’t have a chance to see it,” she said. “I just asked some unbiased people at the scorer’s table, and I don’t know if they were NCAA [officials], one was an Oklahoma [official]. I said, ‘What’s your gut on that?’ They were like ‘We’re a little surprised it got upgraded.’ … I think our players were pretty frustrated. I was trying to calm them down, but I thought that was a big swing in the game.”
OU shot 20 more free throws than the Hawkeyes, who shot a total of 11 between Monday night’s game and their matchup with Murray State on Saturday.
“Oklahoma, they’re going to win. When it’s called like that — and it was not why we lost the game; let that be clear — but 27 to seven,” Jensen said. “So I think that’s part of it. I don’t think we thought about it much at the time. I don’t think the players did. I think we were really hitting. I don’t think you can really — without some bigs, really big bodies, you can’t really slow or stop Oklahoma. You’ve got to score with them.”
Looking into the future of the Iowa roster, though they won’t be able to control the problems with officiating, Jensen plans to adjust and address the issues that faced them against the Sooners.
“I think it has to be a change now,” Jensen said. “I think we have a lot of great pieces, but they’re young. … I love our pieces. I think we can develop them, and that will always be my model. We’re graduating Syd and we don’t have a lot of depth at the one. We have Aaliyah Guyton. Addie Deal plays off the ball and on. You’re going to look and see what we need.”
The transfer portal opens tomorrow.
“We’ll be really busy,” Jensen added. “I love the pieces we have coming back, I just think we need a little more size. You saw them — Beers changes the game. Then you’ve got 24 [Skylar Vann], 34 [Liz Scott], 0 [Beatrice Culliton] who are all big bodies, and then you add Sahara Williams. We’ll look in the portal.”
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DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa State Fair announced two more Grandstand acts Wednesday for its 2026 season.
Country-rock artist HARDY will kick off opening night on August 13. He will take the stage with special guest McCoy Moore starting at 8 p.m.
Then on closing night, Breakout Christian artist Josiah Queen will perform with special guest Ben Fuller. The state fair says the show will be a “family-friendly finale,” starting at 6 p.m. August 23.
Tickets can be purchased starting at 10 a.m. Friday on the State Fair’s website. HARDY tickets start at $54.40, and Josiah Queen tickets start at $19.40.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
Where to find hidden gem restaurants in Des Moines
Des Moines features its share of hidden gem restaurants beloved for their local ownership, friendly ambiance and great food.
From a restored 1914 general store serving reinvented American classics to a nationally revered small-town pizza spot to an authentic mom-and-pop Korean restaurant. Whether you are craving carefully crafted concepts to hole in walls, consider this your guide for planning weeknight dinners, date nights, or after-work fare across the Iowa City corridor.
Káva House & Café
Káva House & Café is located in downtown Swisher in a restored 1914 general store. A longtime staple, the restaurant might be best known for its fine coffees, but it is also a full-service restaurant with breakfast, lunch and dinner options. The menu reinvents American deli standards, including Otto’s old-fashioned meat loaf hot sandwich and a variety of loose meat sandwiches
Details: 122 Second St. S.W., Swisher, 319-857-5000, kavahousecafe.com
Price range: $10 to $20
Ramen Belly
Ramen Belly is tucked away in the Peninsula Neighborhood in Iowa City. In 2023, the restaurant was named to Yelp’s Top 100 Restaurants in the Midwest. While ramen is in the restaurant name, the spot offers a wide variety of Japanese cuisine, from poke bowls to donburi, dumplings and short ribs.
Details: 1010 Martin St., Iowa City, 319-569-1057, or ramenbelly.co
Price range: $10 to $20
I Love Fufu
I Love Fufu opened in 2022 and has been serving African and Caribbean specialty dishes, such as jollof rice, the popular West African soup egusi, and oxtail. Fufu is a must-try, a staple in many West African countries, made by boiling starchy vegetables such as cassava, yams or plantains, then pounding them into a smooth, elastic dough. Fufu is typically served as an accompaniment to soups, stews and sauces, allowing diners to scoop up and savor the rich flavors of each dish.
Details: 230 E. Benton St., Iowa City, 319-499-8189, ilovefufuiowacity.com
Price range: $10 to $20
Lincoln Winebar
Lincoln Winebar is nationally acclaimed to have the best pizza in Iowa, according to the New York Times and 50toppizza.it. Lincoln Winebar leans into local ingredients, from toppings like asparagus and hot honey sourced from local farms, to bring a fresh influence to the Italian classic. From seasonal pizza varieties to mainstay classics like pepperoni and sausage, to locally grown oyster mushrooms, a Margherita, and brie and Gorgonzola, this small-town spot has big energy.
Details: 125 First St. W., Mount Vernon, 319-471-0959, or foodisimportant.com
Price range: $20 to $30
Le Gourmet
Located in the Old Capitol Mall, Le Gourmet is a traditional Korean restaurant that can be easy to miss but is a must-try. It offers a variety of Korean soups and noodle dishes, along with popular Korean street food like tteok-bokki, chewy rice cakes stir-fried in a spicy, sweet, savory sauce, or gimbap, similar to hand-rolled sushi but with different preparation techniques. The restaurant also offers formal dining options like broiled eel and L.A. galbi, inviting diners to try something new.
Details: 201 S. Clinton St. Suite 173, Iowa City, 319-471-0959, or legourmettogo.com
Price range: $10 to $20
La Regia Taqueria
La Regia specializes in street tacos, as well as burritos and quesadillas. Located on the west side of town, La Regia offers a multitude of options, from carne asada to birria, and more adventurous meat options like lengua (cow tongue) and tripe (cow stomach), one of the few places where these meat varieties can be found in the Iowa City corridor. The restaurant also has an expansive menu for non-meat eaters, from fried fish tacos to veggie sope.
Details: 436 Hwy. 1 W., Iowa City, 319-341-8226, or laregia.com
Price range: $10 to $20
Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and education reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at JRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_
Fourth-ranked 197-pounder Massoma Endene is no longer a member of Iowa’s men’s wrestling team, coach Tom Brands said on Tuesday.
Endene, who compiled a 6-1 record with the Hawkeyes, hasn’t wrestled since an 8-2 defeat to second-ranked Rocky Elam on Nov. 30 in the 20-14 dual loss to Iowa State.
Brands announced the news when he opened his weekly media availability, saying: “My statement to that is, sometimes these things work and sometimes they don’t work, and this one just didn’t work out. We wish him the best, and that’s the extent of it. So that’s the opening statement.”
Asked if he wanted to add any clarifying details to the announcement, Brands paused, then said, “That’s as far as I’ll go.”
Endene, a Dallas, Texas native, transferred to Iowa in the offseason after winning three NCAA Division III national championships at Wartburg. Before that, he was a two-time NJCAA All-American at Iowa Lakes Community College.
Gabe Arnold wrestled at 197 in duals against Chattanooga and Utah Valley in the “Uncivil War” event on December 12. Harvey Ludington wrestled at the weight class in last Friday’s dual against Wisconsin, losing to Wyatt Ingham 10-8.
Ludington and Brody Sampson are listed as the choices at 197 for Friday’s home dual against top-ranked Penn State. Sampson, a redshirt freshman, is 6-6 this season. Ludington, a freshman, was undefeated in eight matches at the Luther Open and Jim Koch Wisconsin Open, and finished fifth at the Soldier Salute.
“We want to be really, really smart with Ludington,” Brands said. “He’s our best option, based on the results at the Soldier Salute. We are going to be smart, and take it week to week.”
Ferrari Revs Up
Redshirt freshman Angelo Ferrari is 9-0 this season and takes a #1 ranking at 184 pounds into Friday’s match against fourth-ranked Rocco Welsh.
It’s Ferrari’s confidence and composure that has impressed Brands.
“He embraces being a leader in a way that is comfortable and natural for him,” Brands said. “You talk about being the first-guy-in-the-last-guy-to-leave type of thing. He exhibits that he gets done what he needs to get done. Not sure that he’s real concerned with being a verbal-type leader at this point in his career, but definitely (a leader) by example. And when I say, is he even comfortable being a verbal leader? That doesn’t matter. What matters is that he’s doing the work that’s required. His commitment level is top-notch.”
“I think I hold myself to a higher standard than, you know, anybody else holds me to,” Ferrari said. “I expect myself to go out there and put up points, and if I don’t, then I’m disappointed myself, and I know what I’m capable of.”
Ferrari got his first taste of the rivalry with Penn State last season, when he wrestled at 184 against second-ranked Carter Starocci, losing 2-1. It was Ferrari’s only defeat of the season.
“I think it was great,” Ferrari said of the experience. “There were a lot of fans and a lot of people rooting against you. It was fun, that’s all I could really say. I mean, it was a fun experience. And obviously there’s a fire under me this time to go out there and put up some points and get some takedowns.”
Ferrari has been putting up the points this season, winning three matches by technical fall.
“The fact is, he’s a real popular guy in that locker room,” Brands. “I mean, our guys love him. There’s good relationships there.
“He stepped up big a couple different times. And so when you’re stepping up big, you know sometimes you’re getting responsibility that you may not have thought that you would ever get, and sometimes you have to embrace that responsibility, even if you’re not comfortable with it. And I would say that he’s embraced it great, because he’s still doing what he needs to do to prepare every day. He loves the mat. He loves the wrestling mat, and that’s what we need.”
Ferrari said his battles with national champion Stephen Buchanan during workouts have prepared him well and helped with his composure during matches.
“I’ve been in scrambles like that with Buchanan every day,” Ferrari said. “You know, he puts me in those types of positions where he’s coming at me, and I think it’s just crazy positions like that was what prepares me for when I’m out on the mat.”
It’s a composure that Ferrari said also comes with his family’s success on the mat.
“Everybody’s rooting against you,” he said. “So it kind of drives you a little bit more. And just having that helped me out a little bit.”
Block Bounce Back
Ryder Block is hoping to bounce back after his sudden-victory loss to Joseph Zargo in last Friday’s dual against Wisconsin.
Block, 6-2 last season and ranked 10th at 149, gets top-ranked Shayne Van Ness on Friday.
“If you’re gonna be the guy going out there, you’ve got to be ready to go,” Block said. “(The loss) happened, now you’ve got to move forward.”
Block said there is a piece of advice he is taking from Brands.
“Tom always said you’ve got to have some big nuts,” Block said. “So this week, gotta have some big nuts to get back on the right track, and then just keep getting better.”
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