For all that’s new with this Iowa women’s basketball team, the elite experience gained the last two seasons doesn’t just evaporate for everyone who went through it. Those who remain have been through their fair share of grueling affairs.
Another one unfolded inside Charlotte’s Spectrum Center as Iowa hunted the season’s first significant moment against Virginia Tech. The Hawkeyes handled Sunday’s ebbs and flows to perfection.
An emphatic third-quarter run firmly swung a seesawing matchup Iowa’s way. The Hawkeyes’ 71-52 win capped a successful return trip to the Ally Tipoff, where Iowa has landed two wins over the Hokies in two trips.
Stuck in a sluggish third-quarter lull as Virginia Tech turned a double-digit deficit into a narrow two-point game, Iowa hit the gas at the perfect time for separation. The Hawkeyes finished the third quarter on an 18-4 surge. The ignitor was a surprising one, even if she is a familiar face.
Sunday saw Addi O’Grady deliver a career-high 18 points on 9-for-9 shooting, with several of those buckets coming in the third quarter when Iowa pulled away. The senior center again got the start and played 20-plus minutes for the first time since since Iowa’s season opener last year.
Sunday was just the fifth time O’Grady scored in double figures and the first time against a major-conference school since going for 16 points at Wisconsin on Feb. 3, 2022. Other double-digit outings came against Holy Cross, Bowling Green and Evansville. Of all the players who leave Charlotte with extra confidence, O’Grady doing so could be most significant.
Plenty of assistance arrived from Lucy Olsen (20 points) and Hannah Stuelke (16), who rebounded emphatically after an injury scare Wednesday night. Sunday also marked the return of Sydney Affolter, who made her season debut after sitting out the exhibition and opener while recovering from offseason knee surgery. Affolter finished with six rebounds, three assists and one timely trey in 24 minutes.
Iowa did struggle from deep, going 4-for-18 with no player hitting more than one. But the Hawkeyes held Virginia Tech to an even worse downtown showing (5-for-24) while surrendering just 22 second-half points.
Both teams on the Spectrum Center floor are breaking in new head coaches. The squad in black and gold looked like the one ready to take the next step.
Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.
