SIOUX FALLS, S.D. witnessed an intense battle as Kansas sophomore Laia Conesa faced a breakaway layup opportunity. However, behind her, Lucy Olsen from the left and Kylie Feuerbach from the right closed in swiftly. Just as Conesa was about to score, Olsen and Feuerbach arrived, with Feuerbach slapping the ball, which caromed off Conesa's body and out of bounds, resulting in a Kansas turnover instead of two points. This defensive effort defined Iowa women's basketball's early control over the Jayhawks and led to a convincing 71 - 58 win before 3,347 fans at the sold - out Sanford Pentagon.

Off to a 5 - 0 Start: A New Era for Iowa

In just four days, the Hawkeyes have faced two teams that were in last year's NCAA Tournament. They had a tough road test on Sunday at Drake and then a "neutral" game against the previously unbeaten Jayhawks (4 - 1) of the Big 12 Conference. For new Iowa head coach Jan Jensen, the start couldn't be better.Olsen has been a consistent force all season, scoring another 16 points on Wednesday along with six assists. Hannah Stuelke, after offseason knee surgery, looks sharp and aggressive. She registered a double - double with 16 points and 10 rebounds against Kansas and has been outstanding on defense. Addison O'Grady has been a pleasant surprise. Although she had a season - low nine points against a tough opponent, she has averaged 15.2 points through five games.The freshmen are also making significant contributions. Taylor Stremlow came off the bench with five first - quarter points, and Teagan Mallegni hit two long second - quarter 3 - pointers to extend Iowa's halftime lead to 38 - 27. Center Ava Heiden provided some valuable minutes and scored four points after being held scoreless against Virginia Tech and Drake.In the second half, the Hawkeyes' place was buzzing. "Let's go Hawks" chants filled the air after Taylor McCabe's 3 - pointer and O'Grady's baby hook pushed Iowa's lead to 54 - 37 with 3:33 left in the third quarter.The Hawkeyes' victory was largely due to their first - quarter defense. They allowed only 18 points in 10 minutes and forced Kansas to have 18 possessions with only two field goals, shooting 1 - for - 12 from the field with five turnovers and zero offensive rebounds. All nine Hawkeyes who played scored, with Feuerbach getting all five of her points in the fourth quarter to seal the win after Kansas closed to within 60 - 50.Up next for Iowa is a Sunday home game against Washington State, followed by matchups against Rhode Island and BYU over Thanksgiving in Cancun. Then comes the FOX - televised matchup with Tennessee on Dec. 7 in Brooklyn, N.Y., before the Dec. 11 Cy - Hawk showdown with Iowa State. This schedule is providing ample tests, and the Hawkeyes have so far passed them all with flying colors.Hawkeyes columnist Chad Leistikow has served for 30 years with The Des Moines Register and USA TODAY Sports Network. He is the 2023 INA Iowa Sports Columnist of the Year and NSMA Co - Sportswriter of the Year in Iowa. Join Chad's text - message group (free for subscribers) at HawkCentral.com/HawkeyesTexts. Follow @ChadLeistikow on X.