Iowa upset No. 4 USC, ending the Trojans' 15-game winning streak, as Clark gets jersey retired

Lucy Olsen scored 28 points and Addison O'Grady had 13 as Iowa topped No. 4 USC 76-69 on Sunday, snapping the Trojans' 15-game winning streak.

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

The Associated Press
February 2, 2025 at 9:35PM
Southern Cal forward Kiki Iriafen, left, fights for a rebound with Iowa guard Lucy Olsen, right, on Sunday in Iowa City, Iowa. (Charlie Neibergall/The Associated Press)

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Lucy Olsen scored 28 points and Addison O'Grady had 13 as Iowa topped No. 4 USC 76-69 on Sunday, snapping the Trojans' 15-game winning streak.

The win came on a day when Iowa retired Caitlin Clark's jersey number 22 in a postgame ceremony, and the Hawkeyes delivered a win to add to the honor.

Iowa (15-7, 5-6 Big Ten) opened the game with an 18-1 run, fought off a 17-1 response by the Trojans in the second quarter, then matched USC the rest of the way.

The Trojans' biggest lead was 47-41 in the third quarter, and they were up 50-45 with 2:09 left in the period before the Hawkeyes scored six consecutive points, capped by Olsen's jumper right before the buzzer.

Olsen and O'Grady took control of the game in the second half. They had 23 of Iowa's 25 fourth-quarter points to secure the win.

Sydney Affolter had 11 points and nine rebounds, and Hannah Stuelke added 10 points for the Hawkeyes.

JuJu Watkins led USC (19-2, 9-1) with 27 points. Kiki Iriafen had 13 points, and Kennedy Smith had 11.

Takeaways

USC: The Trojans were staggered by Iowa's early start, yet had a second-quarter response. Watkins got her points, but was 8 of 22 from the field, 1 of 7 in 3-pointers.

Iowa: The Hawkeyes were at their best to start the game, feeding off the emotion of a sellout crowd of 14,998. With Clark in attendance, the game felt like some of her best moments over the last couple of the seasons.

Key moment

USC had gotten to within 63-60 with five minutes to play, but O'Grady and Olsen answered with three consecutive field goals to put the Hawkeyes in command. Olsen later converted on a 3-point play — O'Grady had the assist on her layup — and Iowa had a 72-62 lead.

Key stat

USC missed 20 of its first 22 shots. Watkins had the Trojans' lone field goal in the first quarter.

Up next

USC: At Wisconsin on Wednesday.

Iowa: At Minnesota on Thursday.

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about the writer

about the writer

JOHN BOHNENKAMP

The Associated Press