The No. 25 Washington Huskies women's basketball team was unable to find the second gear it needed in a 65-56 loss to the No. 15 Iowa Hawkeyes on Wednesday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.

The Huskies fell to 18-7 overall and 8-6 in the Big Ten with the loss.

Washington controlled the tempo for most of the first quarter. In the final seven-and-a-half minutes of the opening frame, Iowa was able to tie or take the lead three respective times, but a buzzer-beating jumper from senior guard Hannah Stines sent the Dawgs into the second quarter with a 25-19 advantage.

In the second quarter, the Huskies were unable to score for the first seven minutes. Before sophomore guard Avery Howell hit a 3-pointer with 3:20 left in the first half, the Hawkeyes went on an 11-0 run to take a 30-25 lead.

Washington was outscored 17-5 in the second quarter. The Huskies' five points were comprised of Howell's triple and a layup from senior guard Elle Ladine. Iowa went into halftime with a 36-30 lead.

Washington had a better start to the second half than it did in the second quarter. UW outscored Iowa 7-2 to cut its deficit to one point.

However, despite the better start, the Hawkeyes owned the advantage throughout the third quarter. The Huskies stayed within striking distance, and went into the final quarter behind 49-45.

Washington didn't trail by more than eight points for the majority of the fourth quarter and pulled itself to within four of Iowa with 1:36 left in the game. However, the Huskies were unable to find that last gear and senior guard Kylie Feuerbach hit a 3-pointer to ice the game for the Hawkeyes, cementing the nine-point win.

Washington was led with 19 points from Ladine, who reached that mark on 9-for-16 shooting. She also added five rebounds and two assists.

Junior guard Sayvia Sellers put up 14 points on a 6-for-11 clip from the floor. She also pulled in five rebounds and dished three assists.

Howell added eight points, had 10 boards, dished two assists, blocked a shot and swiped three steals.

The Huskies will return home for their next game against the Oregon Ducks at 5 p.m. PT on Feb. 15 at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle. UW will have another opportunity to earn a ranked win against No. 2 UCLA at 7 p.m. PT on Feb. 19 at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.

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