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Rough night at the line costs Iowa in a 62-57 loss at Illinois

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Rough night at the line costs Iowa in a 62-57 loss at Illinois


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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — This one was lost at the line.

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Free-throw woes — 8 makes in 17 attempts — were costly for 23rd-ranked Iowa, and Illinois was a happy beneficiary in a 62-57 Big Ten women’s basketball victory before a crowd of 4,231 Thursday night at State Farm Center.

“Missed free throws down the stretch were a big part of the loss,” Iowa’s Hannah Stuelke said.

She was spot-on.

The Hawkeyes (12-4, 2-3) missed seven of 10 in the fourth quarter, and the result was a second straight conference loss for the first time since February 2021 (Ohio State and Indiana).

“We just didn’t shoot the ball well,” Iowa Coach Jan Jensen said. “Free throws, man, that was an unfortunate situation.”

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Iowa also shot 5 of 20 from 3-point range, and put up its lowest point total since an 85-53 loss to Baylor in the 2019 NCAA Elite Eight game.

“I don’t know if we’ve figured it out (offensively) yet,” Lucy Olsen said. “Hopefully, we can soon, and it will be smooth sailing.

“I think everyone will be in the gym practicing free throws tomorrow. This won’t happen again.”

Down seven points late in the third quarter, Iowa drew even at 50-50 on Taylor McCabe’s 3-pointer with 8:27 remaining. But Illinois’ Genesis Bryant scored on the next possession, and the Illini (12-4, 2-3) led the rest of the way.

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Stuelke led Iowa with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Olsen added 16 points.

Jensen made a tweak to the starting lineup, inserting freshman guard Aaliyah Guyton in place of senior post Addison O’Grady, creating a smaller, faster quintet.

“I thought she deserved it,” Jensen said of Guyton, a native of nearby Peoria. “This was a good game to try that.

“We started the game well. We just weren’t able to withstand when they came back.”

Iowa was just fine early. The Hawkeyes scored the first six points and built an 11-4 lead.

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Two lengthy droughts were Iowa’s undoing.

The first came after that 11-4 lead, a stretch of 4 minutes, 13 seconds that pushed Illinois right back into it at 16-all by the end of the first quarter.

Iowa reasserted itself and owned its largest lead at 29-20 with 4:09 left in the half.

But the Hawkeyes didn’t score for the rest of the half, nor did they tally in the first 3:26 after intermission.

That stretch — 7 minutes, 35 seconds — spurred Illinois to a 12-0 run and a 32-29 lead. The Illini never trailed again.

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Kendall Bostic paced Illinois with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Bryant and Adalia McKenzie added 12 points apiece.

Illinois’ largest lead was 44-37 with 4:05 left in the third quarter.

After McCabe’s trey tied it at 50-50, Iowa was within 52-51, then 55-53, then 57-54. But those botched free throws stunted any comeback hopes.

“If we make free throws, we win the game,” Stuelke said.

Illinois, meanwhile, was 8 of 8 from the line.

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Sydney Affolter missed a pair of foul shots with 21 seconds left, then McCabe misfired from 3.

Bryant’s free throws with 0:11 remaining clinched it for Illinois.

Tied for 11th in the Big Ten, the Hawkeyes host Indiana at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Illinois 62, Iowa 57

At Champaign, Ill.

IOWA (57): Hannah Stuelke 7-14 4-5 18, Sydney Affolter 1-4 1-4 4, Kylie Feuerbach 1-4 2-6 4, Aaliyah Guyton 1-4 0-0 2, Lucy Olsen 7-16 0-0 16, Teagan Mallegni 0-1 0-0 0, Taylor McCabe 2-6 0-0 6, Addison O’Grady 1-3 1-2 3, Taylor Stremlow 2-3 0-0 4, Ava Heiden 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-55 8-17 57.

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ILLINOIS (62): Brynn Shoup-Hill 1-4 2-2 4, Kendall Bostic 8-12 1-1 17, Genesis Bryant 3-14 4-4 12, Jasmine Brown-Hagger 5-11 0-0 10, Adalie McKenzie 5-17 1-1 12, Berry Wallace 3-5 0-0 7, Cori Allen 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-63 8-8 62.

Iowa 16 13 16 12 — 57

Illinois 16 11 19 16 — 62

3-point goals: Iowa 5-20 (Stuelke 0-1, Affolter 1-2, Feuerbach 0-1, Guyton 0-3, Olsen 2-5, Mallegni 0-1, McCabe 2-6, Stremlow 0-1), Illinois 4-13 (Shoup-Hill 0-2, Bryant 2-5, Brown-Hagger 0-2, McKenzie 1-2, Wallace 1-2). Team fouls: Iowa 14, Illinois 16. Fouled out: Shoup-Hill. Rebounds: Iowa 42 (Stuelke 13), Illinois 31 (Bostic 14). Assists: Iowa 14 (Olsen 5), Illinois 14 (Bostic, Brown-Hagger, McKenzie 3). Steals: Iowa 4 (Olsen 2), Illinois 8 (Bryant 4). Turnovers: Iowa 18, Illinois 10.

Attendance: 4,231.

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Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com





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Penn State earns commitment from Iowa State leading wide receiver via transfer

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Penn State earns commitment from Iowa State leading wide receiver via transfer


Penn State landed Iowa State’s pair of quarterbacks earlier Sunday, including starter Rocco Becht, in a splash move. Now, the Cyclones’ leading receiver is coming with them.

Wide receiver Brett Eskildsen committed to Penn State via the transfer portal, becoming the seventh Cyclone to join the Nittany Lions this weekend. He announced the move on social media.

Eskildsen recorded 30 receptions, 526 yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore in 2025. He also appeared in all 13 games as a freshman but made just two catches for 17 yards.

The 6-1, 200-pound wideout is from Frisco, Texas, and is a three-star in the 247Sports transfer rankings (No. 118 overall, No. 30 WR). He was a three-star out of high school as well, where he had more than 1,5000 career receiving yards.

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Becht’s top man from 2026 is now in place. He’ll also be able to throw to standout Penn State freshman Koby Howard and quick youngster Tyseer Denmark, who have confirmed their returns thus far.

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Iowa State picks up commitment from Arkansas State QB Jaylen Raynor

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Iowa State picks up commitment from Arkansas State QB Jaylen Raynor


Iowa State football has picked up a commitment from Arkansas State quarterback Jaylen Raynor, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Jan. 3.

Raynor has one season of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot, 202-pounder from Kernersville, North Carolina, passed for 3,361 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. He was intercepted 11 times.

Raynor also rushed for 423 yards and seven touchdowns.

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He passed for 8,694 yards and 52 touchdowns in three seasons at Arkansas State.

“The (Iowa State) coaching staff is known for winning,” Raynor told Thamel. “The head coach is a known winner and done it on multiple levels.”

Raynor will join Arkansas State offensive coordinator Keith Heckendorf in Ames. Heckendorf was named Cyclones quarterbacks coach this week.

Raynor completed 19 of 33 passes for 222 yards in a 24-16 loss to Iowa State on Sept. 13, 2025.



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Seven Iowa High School Wrestlers Off To Dominant Starts This Season – FloWrestling

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Seven Iowa High School Wrestlers Off To Dominant Starts This Season – FloWrestling


The first month of the Iowa high school wrestling season has been filled with scintillating individual performances. Here’s a look at seven standouts who have been racking up bonus points in December. 

Drew Anderson (Riverside)  

The Class 1A state runner-up last year at 132 is up to 144 this season and he’s 14-0 with 11 technical falls, a pair of pins and a forfeit win. Anderson, a junior in his second season at the school, already owns the Riverside school record for technical falls with 28. Anderson is on pace to more than double the previous Riverside tech record of 23. 

Urijah Courter (West Marshall)

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Courter won the 2A title last season at 113 after placing third as a freshman at 106. He’s up to 120 this season. Courter is 14-0 this season with 10 pins and two technical falls. His ledger also includes a 6-5 win against Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont’s Simon Bettis in a rematch of last season’s state title bout. 

Cooper Hinz (Jesup)

Entering the holiday break, Michigan commit and two-time state medalist Cooper Hinz is 22-0 with 21 wins via pin, technical fall or forfeit. His other victory was a 4-1 overtime decision against returning state placewinner Cain Rodgers of North Fayette Valley. More impressively, all of Hinz’s pins and technical falls have all come in the first period. 

Lincoln Jipp (Bettendorf)

Jipp placed fifth at 138, third at 165 and second at 175 in Class 3A during his first three seasons. Now he’s up to 215 — 77 pounds more than where he started his career as a freshman. The North Carolina recruit pinned his way through the prestigious Dan Gable Donnybrook. He’s 16-0 with 10 pins, four technical falls and a forfeit.   

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Mason Koehler (Glenwood)

The returning 2A champ at 215 is 20-0 with 18 pins and a major decision. His only two matches that went the distance came at the Council Bluffs Classic, where he defeated Nebraska standout Ryan Boehle of Grand Island 14-4 and Minnesota hammer Joe Kruse of Totino-Grace 9-2. The rest of Koehler’s matches this season ended in first-period pins. He has already registered a six-second pin and another in nine seconds this season. 

Jaxon Miller (Carlisle)  

Miller is a three-time state medalist, a two-time finalist and returning state champ in Class 3A. He placed fourth as a freshman at 145 before making trips to the finals at 157 and 165. He’s 16-0 this season with 13 first-period pins, two technical falls and a forfeit. 

Keaton Moeller (Starmont)

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Moeller placed third in 1A as a freshman at 145 before winning a state title at 150 as a sophomore. He missed all of last season after suffering a torn ACL in football. Now he’s back as a senior at 190 and Moeller hasn’t missed a beat. He’s 13-0 with five pins, six technical falls and a pair of forfeits. He has yet to wrestle a full period this season. 

Iowa High School Premium Rankings

Check out the Iowa High School Wrestling Premium Rankings, which are generated by using an athlete’s complete match history to predict a wrestler’s performance against others in their weight class by considering factors such as win-loss records, the quality of their victories (pins, technical falls, major decisions), the strength of their opponents and overall historical performance patterns. The data is updated every Monday, sourced from the Trackwrestling season results. Since each team is responsible for maintaining their season results, any data discrepancies for a wrestler should be addressed by contacting their coach to manage the information within the season. This includes the weight class assigned. Wrestlers are eligible to be ranked after competing in five matches at a single weight.





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