How To Watch, Game Preview and Game Thread: #2 UCLA Bruins vs. #8 Iowa Hawkeyes
It's a Top Ten matchup today at Pauley when the Bruins host the Hawkeyes.
This afternoon, the #2 UCLA women’s basketball team returns home with a Top Ten matchup against the #8 Iowa Hawkeyes. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 pm PT and the game will be broadcast on Fox and streamed on FoxSports.com.
Last Time Out
On Wednesday, the Bruins ran the winning streak to 14 games with an 80-67 road win over the Illinois Fighting Illini. UCLA came out of the gate slower than most games. The Bruins were trailing 5-2 with eight minutes to go in the first quarter when they began on a 12-0 run and they didn’t take the lead until there was 6:09 to go in the first quarter when Lauren Betts hit a jumper which put UCLA up, 6-5. Once the Bruins took the lead, they never gave it up and the game was never tied. When the first quarter ended, UCLA led 23-16.
With 5:46 to go in the first half, Angela Dugalić made a layup which put the Bruins up 35-24. It was UCLA’s first double-digit lead of the game. With just 14 seconds before halftime, Gianna Kneepkens nailed a three to put the Bruins ahead by 16 points, 45-29. That would be their largest lead of the entire game. Destiny Jackson cut that lead back to 14 points when she scored with a second left in the half, and the Bruins led 45-31 at the break.
Illinois began the third quarter with a 15-2 run, cutting UCLA’s lead to just five points, 51-46, with 4:43 left in the third. That lead remained under ten for the remainder of the quarter and, when the third quarter ended, the Bruins led by seven points, 52-46. Overall, the Illini outscored UCLA, 18-11, in the third quarter. It was the first time the Bruins were outscored in a quarter since the fourth quarter against Oregon on December 7 and it was the first time that UCLA had not outscored their opponent in a quarter since the Southern Cal game on January 3.
When Lauren Betts scored with 34 seconds left in the third, it was the beginning of a 11-2 UCLA run which continued into the fourth quarter and stretched the Bruins’ lead back to 14. With 3:59 left in the game, Betts hit a free throw which proved to be the game-winning shot and put UCLA ahead 68-57. While the Illini managed to cut the Bruins’ lead to seven again with 1:15 left, but UCLA scored the final six points to claim an 80-67 win.
After finishing as the national runner-up in both 2023 and 2024, and following the graduation of Caitlyn Clark, Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder announced her retirement and Iowa assistant head coach Jan Jensen was named as her successor.
In a season and a half at the helm, Jensen has won 41 and lost 14 overall, and this season, she has the Hawkeyes with a 19-3 record. The Hawkeyes are 9-1 in Big Ten play this year, with their only loss coming on Thursday when they lost to Southern Cal, 81-69, at the Galen Center.
So, after a bit of a down year last year in her rookie season, Jensen has the Hawkeyes back at a championship level.
Let’s look at who Jensen will rely on this afternoon.
Iowa Hawkeyes’ Starting Five
Jensen will start a lineup with three guards, a forward and a center.
For the Hawkeyes, their focal point has been sophomore Ava Heiden. The 6’4” center leads Iowa with an average of 16.2 ppg and she’s made 23 blocks. She is second on the team in rebounds with an average of 7.7 rpg.
The other starting big will be senior forward Hannah Stuelke. She is averaging 14.1 ppg and leads the Hawkeyes with 8.6 rpg. Stuelke is second on the team in steals with 27.
Chazadi “Chit-Chat” Wright will be the starting point guards. Wright is averaging 12.8 ppg and she’s Iowa’s best three-point shooter. She’s shooting 47.2% from long range and she may be called upon for more threes today due to an injury to teammate Taylor McCabe, who’s been lost for the season. While McCabe wasn’t as accurate on three-point attempts, she had almost 50 more attempts than Chit-Chat.
In place of McCabe, Jensen will probably start Addie Deal. The freshman from Irvine didn’t score against Southern Cal and is only averaging 6.2 ppg for the season. That’s a slight drop-off from McCabe’s 8.1 ppg, but how Deal adjusts to starting against a team like the Bruins may play an important part of today’s game.
Grad shooting guard Kylie Feuerbach will be the fifth starter for Iowa. She’s averaging 5.7 ppg.
The first two players off the bench will likely be Taylor Stremlow and Journey Houston. Stremlow is averaging 6.9 ppg and she leads the team in assists with 75. While her 40.7% three-point percentage is second on the team, she has only taken 59 attempts beyond the arc. While Houston is only averaging 5.0 ppg, she is third on the team in rebounds with an average of 5.2 rpg. She played a big role against Southern Cal, leading Iowa with 16 points and grabbing eight boards.
Analysis
That loss to the Trojans notwithstanding, today’s game has the hallmarks of a heavyweight fight. A win this afternoon would give the Bruins a two-game lead over Iowa in the Big Ten standings and it will go a long way towards earning UCLA the Big Ten regular season title.
The biggest question mark for UCLA is today is: Will Lauren Betts play?
She is listed as questionable for today’s game on the availability report, though it doesn’t specify why Betts is questionable. While Betts was limited against Illinois, it was because she picked up three fouls in the first quarter, not because she went down with an injury.
Obviously, if Betts can’t play, it’s problematic for the Bruins. As I write this, there is no indication as to the nature of any reason why she’s listed as questionable. I will update this if that information becomes available.
Despite that possibility, I fully expect the Bruins to take today’s game, even if it might be a close one—and it should be.
Watch and Listen to the Game With TMB
Today’s game will be streamed on FoxSports.com with Connor Onion and Elise Woodward on the call. Of course, you can opt to listen to Dave Marcus with the audio call which will be streamed on uclabruins.com. To watch or listen online, just right-click on the links so that you can open up another tab and have it going while you chat in the comments below.
This is your UCLA women’s basketball vs. Iowa Hawkeyes game thread. Here’s how to watch, listen and stream today’s game:
#2 UCLA Women’s Basketball (20-1, 10-0)
Opponent: Iowa Hawkeyes (18-3, 9-1)
Series Record: UCLA leads, 2-1.
When: 1:00 pm PT, Sunday, February 1, 2026
Where: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA
TV: Fox with Connor Onion and Elise Woodward
Live Stream: FoxSports.com and the Fox Sports app
Radio/Audio
Satellite Radio: SiriusXM Ch. 83 (UCLA Call)
Online: uclabruins.com with Dave Marcus
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast
Game Notes:
UCLA
Go Bruins!!!
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20 pt lead - nice!
Gabs!!! 💙💛