Turnovers Trouble Hawkeyes in Costly Road Loss to USC
The Iowa Hawkeyes walked into Southern California riding high-and walked out with a wake-up call. In their first Big Ten loss of the season, the Hawkeyes fell 81-69 to USC, and frankly, the game never felt like it was within their control.
There were a few factors working against Iowa before the ball even tipped. A cross-country trip, a time zone change, and the emotional swing from a dominant win over Ohio State to this matchup all played a part.
Add in the recent season-ending loss of senior leader Taylor McCabe, and it’s clear this group was already facing some adversity. But even with all that context, this one stings.
Because this wasn’t just a loss-it was a breakdown in the very area that’s been quietly threatening to derail Iowa’s season: turnovers.
Turnovers Continue to Undercut Iowa’s Offense
Let’s be clear: when Iowa is clicking, they’re one of the most dangerous offensive teams in the country. Coming into the USC game, they were averaging 81.0 points per game-ranking 19th nationally.
Their shooting numbers were even more impressive: 49.4% from the field (No. 3 overall) and 36.8% from deep (No. 17).
That’s elite-level efficiency.
But all of that offensive firepower doesn’t mean much if you can’t hold onto the ball.
Turnovers have been Iowa’s Achilles’ heel all season. They came into this one averaging 15.2 per game-ranking outside the top 100 nationally, and near the bottom among Power Four programs.
Against USC, they gave it away 13 times. While that’s technically under their season average, it was still damaging-especially considering how efficiently USC turned those mistakes into points.
The Trojans turned Iowa’s 13 turnovers into 19 points. Iowa, by comparison, managed just three points off USC’s five miscues.
That’s a 16-point swing in a game they lost by 12. Do the math.
Bright Spot: Journey Houston’s Breakout Performance
There were a few positives, and freshman Journey Houston’s performance deserves a spotlight. Coming off the bench, Houston dropped a career-high 16 points in just 26 minutes, adding eight rebounds and two assists. She was aggressive, poised, and brought a spark that Iowa desperately needed.
But one player can only do so much when the team as a whole struggles to take care of the basketball.
Looking Ahead: UCLA Looms
This wasn’t the performance Iowa wanted heading into a marquee matchup with No. 2 UCLA.
The Bruins are a different kind of beast-bigger, deeper, and more disciplined than USC. If Iowa doesn’t clean up the sloppiness, especially in transition and half-court decision-making, things could get out of hand quickly in that one.
The Hawkeyes still have the talent and offensive system to make a deep run this season. But if they want to hang with the elite, it starts with valuing each possession. Because in games like this, every turnover is more than just a stat-it’s an opportunity lost.