UCLA Coach Gives Iowa Women's Basketball Environment Flowers After Narrow Victory
While there were several extremely thrilling women's college basketball games that occurred on February 23, perhaps the most captivating was the showdown between the UCLA Bruins and the Iowa Hawkeyes that took place in Iowa's Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Despite being treated to a fantastic contest, the Hawkeye faithful went home unhappy, as their beloved team suffered a 67-65 defeat in a rather controversial fashion.
The controversy came when Bruins guard Elina Aarnisalo was dribbling with about three seconds left on the shot clock while being guarded by Hawkeyes star Lucy Olsen. Olsen then tripped on the foot of UCLA's Angela Dugalić (who was setting a screen on her), causing both guards to fall to the ground.
The “blocking foul” on Lucy Olsen pic.twitter.com/SftJlSsNQG
— Ethan Petrik (@ethan_petrik) February 23, 2025
A blocking foul was called on Olsen — despite many believing it should have been an illegal screen — which prompted Aarnisalo to head to the free-throw line, sink both shots, and secure a narrow victory for the Bruins.
UCLA head coach Cori Close was not complaining about the foul call. And after the game, she showed love to the environment during Sunday's game.
"I was sitting there before the game, and our associate head coach Shannon LeBeauf played here... and I looked at her and I just said, 'Man, this town, this city, has a lot to be proud of, the way they have come behind their women's basketball program,'" per an X post from Dallas Jones of Hawk Fanatic.
"This environment is one of the best in the country and a lot of you deserve a lot of credit for how you've told their stories and built the enthusiasm around this program," Close continued.
She then went on to praise Hawkeyes head coach Jan Jensen and the job she has done to improve her team this season.
UCLA’s Head Coach Cori Close on her team’s performance in the 67-65 win over Iowa.
— Dallas Jones (@DallasJonesy) February 23, 2025
She also gives credit to Iowa City and the Hawkeye fanbase for their support of women’s basketball. pic.twitter.com/FeOF6blM5K
There's no question that Iowa fans have proven that their loyalties don't depend on Caitlin Clark being on Carver-Hawkeye Arena's court.
Recommended Reading:
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
Follow GrvntYoung