Iowa Hawkeyes Women's Basketball Team Falls Short Against UCLA Bruins

Image credits: Savannah Blake/The Gazette

The Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball team suffered a heartbreaking loss to the UCLA Bruins, falling short 67-65 in a closely contested game. Despite a strong performance from Lucy Olsen, who scored a team-high 17 points, the Hawkeyes were unable to overcome the Bruins' dominant rebounding and defense. The game was marked by a series of dramatic moments, including Olsen's three free throws with 6.8 seconds left to tie the score, only to be followed by a blocking foul called on her with 3.8 seconds remaining, which ultimately sealed the win for the Bruins.

The Hawkeyes' loss was their fifth in a row in games decided by five points or less, and their 0-4 record in one-possession games is a major concern for coach Jan Jensen. "We're battling," Jensen said. "You get to a point where it's, 'Doggone it.' … Until we get collectively tired of coming that close … We just take too many bad shots at the wrong time." The Hawkeyes will look to bounce back from this tough loss and prove themselves as a competitive team in the Big Ten Conference.

One of the key storylines of the game was the reunion of former high school teammates Addison O'Grady and Lauren Betts, who played together at Grandview High School in Colorado. O'Grady, now a senior at Iowa, faced off against Betts, who transferred to UCLA from Stanford and is averaging 19.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. The two players had a memorable matchup, with O'Grady scoring 10 points and Betts leading all scorers with 22 points and 12 rebounds.

The game was also notable for its intense atmosphere, with a sellout crowd of 14,998 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes' "pink game" celebration, which honors cancer survivors and raises awareness for the disease, added an extra layer of emotion to the game. Olsen's mom, Kelley, a breast cancer survivor, was in attendance and was honored by the team during the starting lineup introductions.

Here are the match scores:

• UCLA Bruins: 67
• Iowa Hawkeyes: 65

And here are the player statistics:

• Lucy Olsen: 17 points, 5 rebounds
• Addison O'Grady: 10 points
• Lauren Betts: 22 points, 12 rebounds

The Hawkeyes will look to regroup and refocus as they head into the final stretch of the season, with two games remaining before the Big Ten Tournament. With a strong performance and a bit of luck, they could still grab a 20-win regular season and make a deep run in the tournament.