Lucy Olsen Stats Today: How did the Iowa Star play against USC today? (Feb. 2)

On the day that the Iowa Hawkeyes retired superstar Caitlin Clark's jersey, a charged-up Iowa team, keyed by senior guard Lucy Olsen, delivered an impressive 76-69 upset of No. 4 USC. The Hawkeyes improved to 15-7 on the season and are still below .500 at 5-6 in Big Ten play. But Olsen and the Hawkeyes may have shifted the momentum of their season entirely.

How did Lucy Olsen play against USC?

Iowa's Lucy Olsen delivered a game-high 28 points to key an upset of No. 4 USC on Sunday. (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

Iowa rode an 18-4 first quarter edge to the victory. USC game back to lead 29-28 at the half, but a strong fourth quarter enabled the Hawkeyes to pull away and post the pivotal victory.

Lucy Olsen had a game-high 28 points in the victory. She shot 10-for-18 from the field despite missing both of her 3-point attempts in the game. Olsen also sunk 8-of-9 free throw attempts in the victory. Not only did Olsen pace her team, but she outscored USC star JuJu Watkins on Sunday.

Olsen added four rebounds, four assists and three steals to her totals against Iowa. Despite four turnovers and four fouls, she logged a team-high 37 minutes in the battle.

Here's Olsen's stat line in the victory:

PLAYER	MIN	FG-FGA	3P-3PA	FT-FTA	OREB/TREB	AST	STL	BLK	PF	TP
Olsen	37	10-18	0-2	8-9	1/4	4	3	0	4	28

Olsen's History

Olsen's 28 points was a season-high and thus an Iowa high. The veteran guard transferred over from Villanova, where she scored 23.3 points per game a season ago. Olsen now has 1,832 points in her collegiate career.

Olsen's production has dropped significantly since her transfer. She has dropped from 23.3 points per game last year to 16.4 this season for Iowa. Her shooting numbers are nearly unchanged, going from 43.8% at Villanova to 43.0% at Iowa. Her 3-point percentage went from 29.4% to 28.9% this year.

Olsen's Team

The Hawkeyes needed the win badly, as the squad improves to 15-7 overall and 5-6 in Big Ten play. Iowa lost just seven and five games in each of the last two seasons, going all the way to the NCAA Tournament Finals on the strength of Caitlin Clark's performance. Coach Lisa Bluder retired and has been replaced by Jan Jensen.

Before the last two seasons, Iowa had been to the Final Four only once prior, back in 1993, when the Hawkeyes lost in the national semifinals. ESPN's recent bracketology had Iowa as the top of the last four teams into the NCAA Tournament field. Needless to say, Sunday's upset should prove significantly helpful on that front.

What do you think of Lucy Olsen and Iowa? Share your take on the Hawkeyes below in our comments section!