Instant Takeaways From Iowa Women's Basketball's Loss To UConn

Iowa women's basketball hoped a rematch against national power Connecticut would go differently in 2026, but unfortunately for Jan Jensen and Co., the Hawkeyes met a similar fate on Sunday afternoon. 

UConn bested Iowa by 26 in their Dec. 20, 2025 meeting in Brooklyn, and it made sure to assert its dominance over the Hawkeyes again, winning 91-79 at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut. 

Here are some instant takeaways from Iowa's loss: 

Iowa opened this game with an 11-5 advantage thanks to some strong activity from Ava Heiden down low, but that was when UConn coach Geno Auriemma decided to ramp up the full court pressure. Navigating such pressure has been a notable Achilles Heel for the Hawkeyes in recent years, and this new group struggled to deal with it in the first half. 

Iowa committed three turnovers, which in turn caused its offense to sputter. The Hawkeyes went over three minutes without a field goal, which allowed the Huskies to embark on a 13-1 scoring run to seize control near the end of the first quarter, where they led 20-14. 

While Iowa got off to a good start because of Heiden's work down low, the other problem it encountered was Heiden picking up two fouls early in the first quarter. UConn's size certainly makes it easy to rack up fouls, but Heiden leaving the game was extremely detrimental to Iowa's victory chances. Reigning Naismith Player of the Year Sarah Strong was unstoppable because of it, tallying 26 points in the first half alone (she finished with 39). 

While Layla Hays and McKenna Woliczko should be valuable impact pieces for the Hawkeyes this year, asking them to guard Strong and a tall Husky lineup was impossible. Iowa stayed in the game with a three-point barrage from Chit-Chat Wright (2/4 in first), but Wright unfortunately swung the game even further in UConn's direction. 

The Hawkeyes had a shot to make it a single-digit deficit with a three ball at the end of the first half, but Wright's pass was intercepted, leading to a Husky fast break that resulted in a Strong triple right at the buzzer to make it 52-37 UConn at halftime. 

It got worse for Iowa, too. Heiden quickly picked up a third foul not even two minutes into the third quarter. The Huskies knocked down a pair of triples shortly thereafter, and the Hawkeyes' comeback chances were essentially gone. 

Though UConn had this one on cruise control for most of the way, the lone bright spot for the Hawkeyes in this one was Wright. It feels like it's been awhile since she's had a breakout game from distance, but Sunday was certainly a good showing for the fan-favorite. Iowa looked dead in the water in the fourth, but it suddenly made it a 10-point game thanks to more impressive shooting from Wright. She finished with a team-high 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 5-for-8 from distance. 

Though it was too little to late for the Hawkeyes to come back, Jan Jensen certainly has to be impressed with what she saw from Wright. Wright did leave the game late after taking a hard screen, but the ovation she received from her teammates and some of the fans inside Gampel Pavilion said it all. 

Iowa returns to action on Thursday, Nov. 12 for a rivalry matchup against Northern Iowa. The Panthers are 1-1 on the season after suffering a 22-point defeat at the hands of South Dakota State on Nov. 6. 

Tip off from Carver-Hawkeye Arena is set for 7:30 p.m. on FS1.