Inside The Hawkeyes

Iowa's Hannah Stuelke Looks to Replicate Iconic Performance vs. UConn

The Iowa Hawkeyes would love a repeat of an iconic showdown against UConn in 2024.
Jordon Lawrenz|
Iowa forward Hannah Stuelke (45) high-fives teammates after being announced in the starting lineup against the Evansville Purple Aces Nov. 9, 2025 during a women’s basketball game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
Iowa forward Hannah Stuelke (45) high-fives teammates after being announced in the starting lineup against the Evansville Purple Aces Nov. 9, 2025 during a women’s basketball game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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On April 5, 2024, Hannah Stuelke led all scorers as she dropped 23 points in the final four. The Iowa Hawkeyes punched their ticket to the National Championship with a 71-69 win over UConn.

Now that Stuelke and company don't have Caitlin Clark to rely on, the senior must be ready for the biggest game of her life. With hopes of playing in the WNBA, Stuelke knows this is her final year to make an impression.

The Iowa native dropped 23 in that game on 9/12 shooting. To say she was efficient would be an understatement. Now, the Huskies are facing an entirely different Hawkeyes team lead by the one and only Jan Jensen.

Iowa's Path to Success vs. UConn Relies On Hannah Stuelke

it's not like Iowa won't win if Stuelke doesn't drop 23 points, but the Hawkeyes will need to play a flawless game to even think about walking out of the Barclays Center with a win. Stuelke is coming off a 31 point performance against Lindenwood, so it's clear she has all the momentum in the world.

Having scored 10+ in all but two games this season, Stuelke is a major asset to this team. For what it's worth, the team didn't need her to score much in those games against Rutgers and Northern Iowa. In fact, she played under 20 minutes in both of the games where she didn't drop double digits.

That said, there's no world where Stuelke is playing 15 minutes against UConn. While it's impossible to comapre the Huskies to Iowa State, the level of competition is in the same category. Stuelke played 37 minutes in Ames, though she shot just 35.7% from the field. Coming off a game where she was 13/18, Iowa is going to need that version of the senior forward in New York.

Iowa Must Be On Their A-Game

Even though Iowa is No. 11 and UConn is No. 1, everyone knows just how dominant this Huskies team is. They already have a trio of ranked wins on the year, and they're looking to make it four in the Champions Classic.

Stuelke's 13.1 points per game puts her second on the team. She's one of three players averaging double digits. To no surprise, Ava Heiden leads the way with 15.2. The sophomore struggled big time in Ames which is why Chit-Chat Wright exploded for her best game of the year. These three ladies could decide the game against UConn, but it's going to take all Iowa can give to hand the Huskies their first loss.

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Jordon Lawrenz
JORDON LAWRENZ

Jordon Lawrenz serves as the Eastern United States College Recruiting beat writer On SI. Jordon is an accomplished writer covering the NFL, MLB, and college football/basketball. He has contributed to PFSN’s and Heavy’s NFL coverage. Having graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay with a Sports Communication and Journalism degree, Jordon fully embraced the sports writing lifestyle upon his relocation to Florida.

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