As Iowa women's basketball (21-9, 10-8 Big Ten) opened up their quest for an unprecedented fourth consecutive tourney crown, the Hawkeyes cruised to an 81-54 blowout victory against Wisconsin (13-17, 4-14) on Wednesday night in the first round of the 2025 Big Ten Tournament from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Offensively, the Hawkeyes shot an efficient 35-for-61 from the floor, including 11-for-20 from beyond the arc. Defensively, Iowa smothered the Badgers, creating 13 turnovers, 10 steals and five blocks.
Unlike Sunday, the Hawkeyes blitzed the Badgers in the first two quarters, including a 19-0 scoring run to finish the opening 10 minutes of action. Entering halftime with a commanding 43-23 advantage that only grew as the game progressed, Iowa head women's basketball coach Jan Jensen used the lopsided score to reward reserve players with playing time throughout the final two quarters.
The Hawkeyes also dominated the Badgers inside as they outscored Wisconsin, 42-12, in points in the paint. Iowa also controlled the boards, significantly outrebounding Wisconsin, 41-19.
As the Hawkeyes march on to the Big Ten Tournament's second round, here are the three stars from Wednesday night's dominant win.
While Olsen only played 23 minutes, considering the out-of-control score, she did lead the Hawkeyes in scoring with 19 points off 8-for-12 from the floor and 3-for-4 from long range. The senior also registered three assists, two rebounds, and one steal to close out her night.
Olsen's performance also surpassed a career milestone of 2,000 points when she knocked down an open-look three-pointer in the second quarter.
When interviewed following the game, Olsen said that the Hawkeyes' early start to the game set the tone for the team to finish strong and wants Iowa to be hungry for more wins as the tournament rolls on.
"Yeah, I'm excited we got this win. We just came out ready to win, and we don't want to stop playing, so I think that just sets the tone right away," Olsen said.
Given the small sample size from Wednesday's game, Iowa could be in for a weekend stay in Indianapolis if Olsen can shoot the ball with the efficiency displayed against the Badgers.
"Yeah, we've got to get in the ice baths. We've got to stay focused. Just because we won this one doesn't mean we can win the next one. Take every game one by one," Olsen also said in her postgame remarks.
While Affolter also played limited minutes due to the game's score, she was effective while on the court by contributing nine points on 4-for-4 from the floor and 1-for-1 from deep. Affolter also led the team with seven rebounds to pair with her lone assist in her 18 minutes of action.
Similar to what was said about Olsen, Affolter's impact when on the court has proven to be a sparkplug for the Hawkeyes, and one Iowa will need to continue to be effective if they intend on going far in the tournament.
Given the Hawkeyes utilized their entire bench against the Badgers, there was honestly not one specific player that stood out about the other. Instead, the entire bench receives recognition as the Hawkeyes got 27 bench points off 12-for-28 shooting from the field and 3-for-7 from beyond the arc.
With the Hawkeyes needing to win four more games in the next four days to claim their fourth straight tournament title, they will need to get impactful minutes from their bench and reward the starters with rest whenever possible.
With the win, Iowa has now defeated Wisconsin in 31 consecutive meetings and will proceed to play Thursday night vs. sixth-seeded and No. 24 Michigan State (21-8, 11-7) on the Big Ten Network at 8 p.m. CT.
As always, Iowa fans can also tune in to the Hawkeye Radio Network to follow along with play-by-play voice Rob Brooks and color analyst Kathryn Reynolds.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews