Maryland snaps Iowa’s 20-game home win streak, 74-66

IOWA CITY — The comeback was admirable, yes.

But it couldn’t fully atone for a miserable first half.

Eighth-ranked Maryland weathered a late Iowa surge and held off the 23rd-rated Hawkeyes, 74-66, in a Big Ten women’s basketball game before a frustrated crowd of 14,998 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The Terrapins (14-0 overall, 4-0 Big Ten) built a 25-point lead in the second quarter and snapped Iowa’s 20-game home win streak.

“I loved our first half,” said Maryland Coach Brenda Frese, a Cedar Rapids native. “I was really impressed with this group’s poise and composure.”

Kaylene Smikle led Maryland with 26 points, Shyanne Sellers added 17, and the Terrapins hit 12 of 25 shots from 3-point range.

Iowa (12-3, 2-2) got as close as five points, twice. It was 63-58 when Hannah Stuelke made the first of two free throws with 4:44 to go, and the Hawkeyes had possession down five, but turned it over.

Stuelke’s putback — her first basket of the game — made it 71-66 with 0:44 left, but the Hawkeyes didn’t score again.

“Iowa came out with a punch in the second half, but we knew how to play through it,” Smikle said. “We weren’t going to crumble through that.”

Lucy Olsen paced Iowa with 19 points before fouling out in the final seconds. Sydney Affolter added 12 points and eight rebounds.

Olsen scored the first basket of the game, then Maryland tallied the next 13 points, and the Terrapins played in front the rest of the way.

The Hawkeyes had a glimmer of brightness with a 7-0 run at the end of the first quarter to creep within 22-15.

But Maryland blew it open; its largest lead was 46-21 on Sellers’ two free throws with 0:59 left in the half.

It was 48-27 at intermission.

Iowa has struggled out of the gate in the last two games. The Hawkeyes got away with it at Penn State on Wednesday, but Maryland was too good, and the deficit was too much.

“We have to have some talks about how we started out the last two games,” Affolter said. “You can’t have starts like that in the Big Ten.”

Olsen said, “We have to figure it out. We’ve got to make better passes and better decisions. A lot of it is mental.”

Iowa committed 21 turnovers, which included 15 Maryland steals (six by Smikle).

“We anticipated well,” Frese said. “Their sideline press break, we were able to take away. The 50-50 balls, we were able to get.”

  Buy Photo

Former Iowa coach Lisa Bluder was honored at halftime. Bluder compiled a 24-year record of 528–254 at Iowa, and led the Hawkeyes to the NCAA championship game in 2023 and 2024.

The Hawkeyes play at Illinois on Thursday.

Maryland 74, Iowa 66

At Iowa City

MARYLAND (74): Christina Dalce 0-5 0-0 0, Shyanne Sellers 4-14 6-8 17, Sarah Te-Biasu 2-5 0-0 5, Kaylene Smikle 8-17 6-8 26, Saylor Poffenbarger 3-12 0-0 8, Allie Kubek 1-4 1-2 4, Bri McDaniel 5-10 2-2 13, Mir McLean 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 23-67 16-22 74.

IOWA (66): Hannah Stuelke 1-8 2-4 4, Addison O’Grady 4-8 1-2 9, Sydney Affolter 4-10 3-4 12, Kylie Feuerbach 1-2 4-4 6, Lucy Olsen 6-17, Taylor Stremlow 0-3 0-0 0, Taylor McCabe 1-5 0-0 3, Teagan Mallegni 1-3 0-0 2, Ava Heiden 2-2 0-0 4, Aaliyah Guyton 3-4 0-0 7, A.J. Ediger 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-62 13-17 66.

Maryland 22 26 11 15 — 66

Iowa 15 12 16 23 — 74

3-point goals: Maryland 12-25 (Sellers 3-4, Te-Biasu 1-3, Smikle 4-5, Poffenbarger 2-7, Kubek 1-3, McDaniel 1-3), Iowa 7-22 (Stuelke 0-1, Affolter 1-3, Feuerbach 0-1, Olsen 4-7, Stremlow 0-1, McCabe 1-5, Mallegni 0-2, Guyton 1-2). Team fouls: Maryland 17, Iowa 22. Fouled out: Olsen. Rebounds: Maryland 41 (Dalce, Kubek 7), Iowa 44 (Stuelke 9). Assists: Maryland 12 (Sellers 4), Iowa 11 (Stremlow 3). Steals: Maryland 15 (Smikle 6), Iowa 9 (Olsen 4). Turnovers: Maryland 14, Iowa 21.

Attendance: 14,998.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com