The Iowa women’s basketball team certainly proved me wrong
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Full disclosure:
I didn’t give the Iowa women’s basketball team any chance of defeating fourth-ranked USC on Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The best case scenario in my mind was that Iowa would be competitive and would keep the score close throughout, only to fall short at the end.
Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined Iowa bolting to an 18-1 lead and holding USC to just four points in the first quarter.
But that is exactly what happened Sunday as Caitlin Clark, former Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder and former late-night television host David Letterman all watched from the stands as part of a raucous sellout crowd.
USC, led by dynamic sophomore JuJu Watkins, predictably made a run and actually led by one point at halftime.
So, it was easy to assume that Watkins and her talented cohorts would create some separation in the second half, and I made that assumption.
But that never happened.
The score remained close in the third quarter and then Iowa created some separation in the fourth quarter and ultimately prevailed 76-69 in what has to be one of the biggest upsets in program history.
It was as if Clark’s presence helped to carry her former team to victory despite being a 15 1/2 point underdog at home.
But Iowa also had help from multiple players in Sunday’s game, most notably Villanova transfer Lucy Olsen, who scored 23 of her game-high 28 points in the second half, including 15 in the fourth quarter.

Olsen refused to let her team lose on the same day in which Caitlin Clark’s jersey No. 22 would be retired after the game.
Olsen took over the game down the stretch, much the same way Clark so often did as an all-everything point guard for the Hawkeyes.
Clark’s enormous success and popularity is part of what convinced Olsen to spend her final season in college as a Hawkeye.
Olsen then made sure with her performance in Sunday’s game that Clark’s post-game ceremony would be preceded by a much-needed win.
“It was really cool,” Olsen said. “Every time I watched her highlights or anything, wow, she’s so good. Wow, this is so cool.
“She’s amazing and everything she’s done for the sport, I mean that’s part of the reason why I’m, here.”
Olsen was also amazing in the second half of Sunday’s victory, which lifted Iowa’s record to 5-6 in Big Ten play.
But what stood out the most about Sunday’s game, besides the final score, of course, was Iowa’s performance on defense.
From the opening tip, Olsen and her teammates were locked in on defense. Whether it was help defense, transition defense, half-court defense or clogging the passing lanes, the Hawkeyes performed at a high level against one of the best offensive players in the country.
Watkins finished with 27 points, but it was rough 27 points as she only made 8-of-22 field-goal attempts.
The challenge now for Iowa will be to keep playing defense at that same high level and with the same intensity and energy.
First-year Iowa head coach Jan Jensen deserves praise for having her team ready to play under highly unusual and pressure-packed circumstances.
Iowa has had its ups-and-downs in Jensen’s debut season, but maybe Sunday’s upset, and the tribute to Caitlin Clark afterwards, will have ignited a spark.