One Alarming Reason Iowa Lost To UConn

Turnovers Were The Only Thing That Cost Iowa The Game

When looking at the numbers, the only glaring issue was the turnovers. For everything else, Iowa was right in it. They shot 49% compared to UConn's 52%. From 3-point range, they actually had a better percentage than the Huskies.

Iowa out-rebounded UConn by nine, which is a huge difference. They had just three fewer assists and blocks, but it was the steals and turnovers that got the job done.

UConn finished with 17 steals as part of their 26 turnovers. As head coach Jan Jensen said, going into the game, they speed everything up. This Huskies team is no joke, and Iowa learned that the hard way in the Champions Classic.

UConn Led Wire To Wire

The Huskies led by as many as 31 points as Iowa failed to ever take the lead. Turning the ball over 26 times will do that to a team, and it's not a number Jensen will be forgetting anytime soon. With 41 points off turnovers, just under 50% of the Huskies' scoring came from mistakes Iowa made.

In the end, there was only one Hawkeye who didn't turn the ball over. That was sophomore guard Teagan Mallegni, but it's worth noting she only played two minutes. Even her fellow sophomore guard, Callie Levin, turned it over and she played just four minutes.

Iowa's starting five accounted for 11 turnovers as the likes of Layla Hays and Taylor Stremlow struggled off the bench. It was by far Stremlow's worst game of the season, with six turnovers, something she typically never does. In her last four games combined, she had just seven turnovers.

This game taking place in December benefited everybody. It gave the Huskies another ranked win, but humbled Iowa in a sense that showed them how far they truly are from competing against the best team in the nation. If these teams meet again in March, things could go much, much differently.