Coming off a close 52-56 road loss to Texas Tech, WSU women’s basketball enters its third road game against arguably its toughest opponent yet in the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Cougs have yet to win a road contest and are amid a six-game road stretch, including a trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico, for a three-game tournament.
After the loss to Texas Tech, head coach Kamie Ethridge said she was disappointed that her team didn’t get the win and that they had so many turnovers at the end of the game. She said she wanted to see growth out of her players but has been happy with their effort.
“I’m not the most positive person in practice every day and I’m very much nitpicking our team but I love how they respond, I love how they come into practice, I love how hard they compete in practice and they want to be good,” Ethridge said.
Iowa is the second team the Cougs have played this season to receive votes in the AP Top 25 poll. The Hawkeyes are currently 5-0 and are coming off a convincing win against Kansas, leading them to receive the most votes they have this season in the most recent poll at 80. Iowa is beating its opponents by an average of 20 points so far and has been voted the first team outside of the Top 25 in the first three rankings.
The Hawkeyes are transitioning out of the Caitlin Clark era, which changed the landscape of women’s basketball and led Iowa to back-to-back national championship appearances. The team lost its first and third leading scorers, Clark and Kate Martin, but also lost highly successful head coach Lisa Bluder, who retired after the 2023-24 season. Despite these losses, Iowa entered this season with a plethora of talent and has looked sharp in Clark’s absence.
The Hawkeyes are returning eight players this season, none of whom are more important than forward Hannah Stuelke. Stuelke, a second-team All-Big Ten selection last year and Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year in her freshman year, is averaging 14.8 points and 7.8 rebounds this season. Both are up from last year when she was the team’s second-leading scorer. The junior was named to the Big Ten preseason first team and placed on multiple award watch lists including the Wooden Award.
Joining Stuelke for the same accolades is Villanova transfer Lucy Olsen. The senior guard sat behind Clark and USC’s Juju Watkins last year as the nation’s third-best scorer. Olsen averaged 23.3 points, was the Big East Most Improved Player and led the Wildcats to the WBIT final. She pairs with Stuelke to make up one the most dynamic inside-out duos in college basketball.
One of Iowa’s biggest strengths is its experience, as its starting lineup includes four seniors and its typical nine-man rotation includes just three freshmen. Iowa head coach Jan Jensen also brings significant qualifications and experience to replace Bluder. Jensen is in her 25th season with the team and has guided Iowa to 22 postseason appearances and seven top-20 recruiting classes in her tenure. Ethridge praised the Iowa staff and the culture within the program.
“I think the world of that staff and Jan [Jensen] and what she’s doing,” Ethridge said. “So happy for her to get this chance to be a head coach and it’s just such an easy transition from Lisa [Bluder] to her and you can see that with their team, they’re highly confident.”
While not every freshman is playing, the Hawkeyes put the cherry on top of their roster with the nation’s ninth-best recruiting class in 2024 according to ESPN HoopGurlz, bringing in four top 100 recruits. The class is highlighted by center Ava Heiden (ranked No. 42), who has a strong all-around game and whose 6-5 frame allows her to control the boards.
The Cougs have quietly struggled to contain high-scoring lead guards this season and have just started to see improvement in frontcourt play. Iowa will present a unique challenge with its scoring potential both inside and outside the three-point line. The Hawkeyes are currently the 16th-best shooting team in the country (50.65% from the field) and are top 35 in scoring offense (82.6 points per game).
This season, Carver-Hawkeye Arena sold out for a second consecutive year and the stakes are high. Ethridge acknowledged the challenge, the environment and what Iowa means to women’s basketball but pointed to the opportunity for growth within it.
“I want us to be fearless and I want us to go in there and not be afraid of the moment,” Ethridge said. “I promise you we’re going to be better in March than we are now and putting ourselves into these tough environments I think will really grow us.”
WSU heads to Iowa City, Iowa on Sunday to take on the Hawkeyes at 1 p.m.
