Lindsey Gottlieb makes her feelings known on Lucy Olsen after Iowa beats JuJu Watkins' USC on Caitlin Clark's special night

USC Trojans coach Lindsey Gottlieb shared her thoughts on Lucy Olsen after unranked Iowa defeated JuJu Watkins and the No. 4 USC Trojans 76-69 on Sunday, a night that also honored Caitlin Clark.

Olsen stood out as the best player on the court, recording 28 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals as the Hawkeyes ended the visitors’ 15-game winning streak at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. USC’s defeat coincided with Iowa’s retirement of WNBA star Caitlin Clark’s No. 22 jersey during the postgame ceremony, making the Hawkeyes’ victory even more significant.

During the postgame press conference, USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb, along with players JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen, addressed the team’s loss, Clark’s jersey retirement and the intense atmosphere inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Gottlieb praised Olsen when asked about the challenge of defending Iowa’s standout player.

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"She’s a really talented scorer. I actually think her numbers this year belie her ability and she cooked tonight and we know she's capable. She had a really great game at Washington too, but I think she's really finding her rhythm. It's hard when you come to a new program and you have to figure it out," Gottlieb said of Olsen.

Although she had difficulties in previous games, Olsen showcased her mid-range game in this one, keeping the Trojans on their toes in her best performance as a Hawkeye. She finished 10-of-18 from the field and made 8-of-9 free throws.

"I think she got to her spots a little too comfortably. Certainly, our ability not to have Kennedy Smith on her, maybe as much as we wanted because her foul trouble impacted it, but we just didn't do a good enough job defensively," Gottlieb added.

"She's so bouncy that if she gets to her spot, her pull-up is going to be uncontested even if you have a body between her. She's a really good player and they capitalized on that tonight," Gottlieb further noted.

Iowa started strong with an 18-4 lead in the first quarter, but USC answered with a commanding 17-1 run, edging ahead 29-28 by halftime. However, the Hawkeyes kept up in the second half, outscoring USC 48-40 over the final two quarters. Olsen stepped up in the fourth, scoring 15 points to secure Iowa’s win in front of their home fans.

USC Struggles in Second Loss of the Season

Despite a determined effort on the road, the Trojans could not complete a comeback and suffered a surprising upset against the Hawkeyes.

Iowa’s fast start put USC on the back foot early, though the Trojans responded in the second quarter. While the second half remained competitive, USC couldn’t contain Iowa, which shot 44.6 percent from the field, compared to USC’s 35.4 percent.

JuJu Watkins led the Trojans with an all-around performance, finishing with 27 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals. However, she struggled with efficiency, shooting 8-of-22 from the field, including 1-of-7 from beyond the arc, while recording two fouls and four turnovers. Kiki Iriafen contributed 13 points and eight rebounds, while Kennedy Smith added 11 points, four rebounds and four steals.

Both teams finished even on the boards with 37 rebounds each. USC held a slight edge in steals (12-11) and blocks (4-2). However, the Trojans were hampered by a season-high 24 fouls and 18 turnovers. This marked USC’s first-ever defeat at Iowa, where the team now holds a 1-5 all-time record.

With the loss, USC’s record falls to 19-2 overall and 9-1 in the Big Ten, positioning them third in the conference behind UCLA and Ohio State. The Women of Troy continue their Big Ten road stretch with a game against Wisconsin on Wednesday.