IOWA CITY
Maryland showed dominance in the first quarter. While Iowa’s Olsen was the first on the board with a jumper, Maryland then went on a 13-0 run as Iowa struggled both with shooting and turnovers. Maryland has a little more size on their side, but Iowa’s O’Grady and Feuerbach boxed out well keeping Iowa in the rebound game. Stuelke got into some early foul trouble with two quick fouls forcing her to sub out early. O’Grady had a notable set of back-to-back buckets after ending Iowa’s dry spell. Iowa’s McCabe had only 3 pointer for Iowa in the quarter. Maryland led 22-15 after the first.
The second quarter was full of more frustration for Hawkeye players and fans. Affolter came out with a bucket, but that was the end of the celebration for Iowa as Maryland outscored Iowa 26-12 in the second. Frustration was visible on the court and the sideline as Iowa Coach Jensen tossed her clipboard and cup to the ground after a huddle in disgust. Iowa subbed rapidly to try to find a rhythm and matchups in their favor but wasn’t able to get any traction. While both teams hit a similar shooting percentage the first half, Maryland was able to put up almost twice as many shots. Iowa’s Olsen did have a notable set of buckets at the line and a three pointer, but Maryland continued to pull away ending the first half at 48-27.
The Hawkeyes showed some promise in the third quarter coming out strong with a 10-0 run to shave down some of Maryland’s lead. Maryland managed to pull back some of those points as Iowa fouls pushed Maryland into the bonus and Hawkeyes Stuelke picked up her fourth foul. The third quarter ended 59-43 Maryland.
Iowa came into the fourth quarter with a quick five points. The Hawks were able to cut Maryland’s lead down to 8 within 3:30 of play in the period. Maryland had several missed opportunities that kept Hawk fans on their feet and the crowd came alive as Feuerbach got a steal and layup putting the Hawks down by only 6 points with 5:06 left to play and the Hawks on a 6-0 run. Stuelke then grabbed a rebound, drew a foul, and put one in from the line making it a five point game. Despite an impressive comeback early in the fourth, it proved too little too late as Maryland ended up pulling away for the win 74-66.