Samantha DeFily

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The Daily Iowan •

Photos: Iowa men’s basketball falls to No. 24 Wisconsin

The Iowa Hawkeyes fell to the No. 24 Wisconsin Badgers, 84-71, during a basketball game at Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin on Sunday. Iowa’s record now sits at 19-8. 
This is Iowa’s third loss in their last four games, with the main issue being their defense. Wisconsin guard Nick Boyd led his team with 27 points and came just one rebound short of a triple-double. Forward Nolan Winter followed with 18 points and five rebounds. “Our offense is built to score, and we can score in a variety of way...
The Daily Iowan •

Photos: Iowa men’s basketball upsets No. 9 Nebraska Cornhuskers

The Iowa Hawkeyes upset the No. 9 Nebraska Cornhuskers, 57-52, during a basketball game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Tuesday evening. Iowa’s record now sits at 19-7. 
Coming off of two losses in a row, one being Maryland and the latest being No. 13 Purdue, Iowa was looking for a win. Even after the little over 20 point loss on Saturday, attendance reached almost 11,500. “We appreciate, again, the crowd support, the energy. I think that willed us to victory,” said Iowa head coach Ben McCollum while...
The Daily Iowan •

Photos: Iowa men’s basketball falls to the No. 13 Purdue Boilermakers

The Iowa Hawkeyes fell to the No. 13 Purdue Boilermakers, 78-57, during a basketball game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday. Iowa’s record now sits at 18-7. 
After a surprising loss against Maryland on Wednesday night, the Hawkeyes didn’t have much time to regroup before playing the Boilermakers in front of a sold-out crowd.  “Sorry for our fans who showed up to watch that,” said Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz.
Stirtz led the team with 19 points, and ended up being the only Iowa player who reached...
The Daily Iowan •

Photos: Iowa men’s basketball defeats Northwestern

The Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the Northwestern Wildcats 76-70, during a basketball game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday afternoon. Iowa’s record now sits at 18-5. 
Bennet Stirtz had his best night of scoring ever, dropping 36 points, while Northwestern’s leading scorer, Nick Martinelli, had 21. Tavion Banks led the team in rebounding with seven total, with Cooper Koch and Alvaro Folgueiras not far behind, with both of them having five. Northwestern guard Jake West had a breakout game, putting up...
The Daily Iowan •

Photos: Iowa men’s basketball defeats Southern California

Fans from both sides of the court experienced a rollercoaster of emotions during Wednesday night’s Big Ten matchup. The Iowa Hawkeyes men’s basketball team defeated the Southern California Trojans, 73-72, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Wednesday evening. Iowa’s record now sits at 15-5. 
Iowa guards Bennett Stirtz and Tavion Banks lead the team, scoring 20 points. After transferring to Southern California in December, guard Kam Woods attempted to secure a comeback win by not just scoring 19 points co...
The Daily Iowan •

Photos: Iowa City protests following ICE shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis

Iowa City community members called for accountability in a below freezing protest at the University of Iowa Pentacrest after the second fatal shooting in Minneapolis by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer this month.

Iowa City community members called for accountability in a below freezing protest at the University of Iowa Pentacrest after the second fatal shooting in Minneapolis by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer this month.
The Daily Iowan •

Photos: Iowa men’s basketball defeats Rutgers

The Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, 68-62, in a close battle at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Tuesday evening. Iowa’s record now sits at 14-5. 
The Scarlet Knights didn’t make the win easy, with Iowa accumulating 19 personal fouls and twelve turnovers. Even though he had a slow start, only having seven points in the first half (with none of those coming from behind the arc), Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz led the Hawkeyes with 20 points and five assists. Iowa guard Tavion Banks had four...
The Daily Iowan •

Photos: No. 11 Iowa women’s basketball defeats Oregon, 74-66

Iowa women’s basketball defeated the Oregon Ducks at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City on Thursday, 74-66. Iowa is now 15-2.Iowa forward Hannah Stuelke earned a career-high eight assists combined with 18 points while teammate Addison Deal earned 18 points.This matchup was the first that Oregon as a member of the Big Ten has traveled to Carver-Hawkeye. Iowa faces No. 15 Michigan State at home Sunday at 7 p.m.

Iowa women’s basketball defeated the Oregon Ducks at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City...
The Daily Iowan •

Photos: Day two of the 2026 Legislative Session

Lawmakers came back to the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines for the second day of the 2026 legislative session. There were various meetings throughout the day on Tuesday, before the Condition of the State address in the evening.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds spoke in the House, highlighting property tax, cancer rates, and education as a few of her top priorities. This was her eighth and final address, as she is not seeking reelection. “As I enter my final legislative session as your Governor, I do so d...
The Daily Iowan •

Photos: Day one of the 2026 Iowa legislative session

For the first day of the 2026 Iowa legislative session, lawmakers gathered at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines on Monday. Topics that were discussed as being high priority included property tax, eminent domain, lower cost of living, and lowering state violence.
Meetings will continue tomorrow, with Governor Kim Reynolds delivering a condition of the state in the evening.

For the first day of the 2026 Iowa legislative session, lawmakers gathered at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines on Mon...
The Daily Iowan •

Photos: No. 19 Iowa men’s basketball falls to No. 16 Illinois

The Iowa Hawkeyes fell to the Illinois Fighting Illini 75-69, during a basketball game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday. Iowa’s record now sits at 12-4.  Even though Iowa head coach Ben McCollum told the media that guard Tavion Banks was sick, the Missouri native led the team with 16 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Guard Tate Sage followed up with 13 points, and guard Bennet Stirtz had a rough day, but still managed to contribute 12 points and six assists. Overall, small mistakes cost...
The Daily Iowan •

Photos: Iowa defeats Vanderbilt in 2025 ReliaQuest Bowl

The Hawkeyes defeated the Commodores, 34-27, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida Wednesday afternoon, taking home the ReliaQuest Trophy to close out the 2025 season. After a 14-game losing streak against ranked teams, dating back to 2021, Iowa has finally won one.
Iowa tight end DJ Vonnahme led the receivers with 146 yards, seven receptions, and a touchdown. Running back Kamari Moulton had one touchdown, making it his fifth of the season and tenth of his career. Moulton finished the game...
The Daily Iowan •

Photos: ReliaQuest Bowl pregame press conference

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz and Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea address the media ahead of the ReliaQuest bowl set for Wednesday, Dec. 31 at Raymond James Stadium at 11 a.m. CST.
Lea commented on how each football program operates similarly. “I do believe there’s a common thread in the fact that both teams play in spirit and identity.”
Brian Murphy, CEO of ReliaQuest, spoke briefly on his company’s values. Murphy then gave Vanderbilt cornerback Mustafa Dannett and Iowa tight end Hayden Large wi...
The Daily Iowan •

Photos: Fan activities ahead of ReliaQuest Bowl

Around 1,800 fans gathered at The Sail Plaza next to the Tampa Convention Center for the Hawkeye Huddle on Tuesday. The event included music, food, merch, guest speakers, and a performance from the Iowa Spirit Squad and Hawkeye Marching Band. Following the huddle was a parade that ran along 7th Avenue.
Hundreds of fans gathered in Ybor City to watch the ReliQuest Bowl Battle of the Bands competition between Hawkeye Marching Band, Spirit of Gold Marching Band, and their spirit squads. Each band w...
The Daily Iowan •

Photos: Fan Day at Clearwater Beach

Fans from both Vanderbilt and Iowa travelled to Clearwater Beach to enjoy Beach Day for the upcoming ReliaQuest Bowl on Monday. Activities included three-legged races, sack races, a pie-eating contest, and more.
Over the entirety of the day, fans from both teams competed against each other for the honor of the best fan base. The last part of the day held a tug-of-war contest between the two spirit squads. The first two rounds were won by Vanderbilt, but Iowa clinched it at the end by taking the...
The Daily Iowan •

Photos: Iowa football takes on Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

Select Iowa football players visited Busch Gardens Tampa Bay for a day filled with animals and amusement park rides. This gave the team a break from practicing, and a chance to relax before the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Players spoke to the media after getting off SheiKra, a roller-coaster in the park. Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski ran off after being asked if he’d stop for an interview. “I’ve already done my media for the week,” he said.
When asked about what his favorite trip has been since joining t...
The Daily Iowan •

Photos: Iowa football and Vanderbilt football teams practice ahead 2025 ReliaQuest Bowl

TAMPA – Ahead of the 2025 ReliaQuest Bowl, the Iowa Hawkeyes and No. 14 Vanderbilt Commodores held practices at different high schools in Tampa, Florida on Saturday.
Iowa football held a practice at the Berkeley Preparatory School, and after, players and coaches spoke with members of the media. When asked about the opposing team’s Heismen Trophy runner-up, Diego Pavia, quarterback Mark Gronowski said, “It’s always fun seeing another great quarterback on the other side of the Bowl.” In other news...
The Daily Iowan •

Photos: Iowa men’s basketball defeats Bucknell

The Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the Bucknell Bisons 94-39, during a basketball game at the Casey’s Center on Saturday evening. Iowa’s record now sits at 10-2.  A rough start from Iowa had the Bisons leading the Hawkeyes 10-2 after three minutes of play, but McCollum called a timeout to talk with his players. Iowa came back out on the court stronger with a 15 point run, which was then extended to 26-3 after a timeout from Bucknell. Leading the Hawkeyes, guard Alvaro Folgueiras accumulated 17 points, w...
The Daily Iowan •

Photos: Iowa men’s basketball defeats Western Michigan

The Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the Western Michigan Broncos 91-51, during a basketball game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday afternoon. Iowa’s record now sits at 9-2. Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz played only 24 minutes, a season low for him, but tied with forward Alvaro Folgueiras and guard Brendan Hausen for the scoring lead of 13 points. At the half, the Hawkeyes led by 36 points and didn’t stop pushing into the end, holding a 40 point lead over the Broncos. Iowa will travel to Des Moines for a matc...
The Daily Iowan •

Photos: Iowa men’s basketball falls to Iowa State

The Iowa Hawkeyes fell to the Iowa State Cyclones 66-62, during the annual men’s basketball Cy-Hawk game at Hilton Coliseum on Thursday evening. Iowa’s record now sits at 8-2.  Prior to the game, the Cyclones were favored to win, but the Hawkeyes came out strong in the first half. The team made a little over 71% of their shots from beyond the arc and this had the Hawkeyes heading into half time with an eight point lead.  Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz played all 40 minutes, and guard Tavion Banks acc...
The Daily Iowan •

Photos: Iowa men’s basketball defeats Maryland

The Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the Maryland Terrapins 83-64, during a basketball game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday. Iowa’s record now sits at 8-1 overall, and 1-1 in Big Ten play.
The Hawkeyes’ came out strong offensively in the first half, shooting 61.5 percent from behind the three-point line. Guard Bennett Stirtz was the only Iowa player to reach double digits, but forward Cooper Koch made three of his four three-point attempts. At the half, Iowa held a 44-30 lead.
A standout player from t...
The Daily Iowan •

Photos: Iowa men’s basketball falls to Michigan State

The Iowa Hawkeyes fell to the Michigan State Spartans 71-52, during a basketball game at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing, Michigan on Tuesday evening. Iowa’s record now sits at 7-1. 
In the first half, the Hawkeyes forced four turnovers, but their offense fell short which allowed the Spartans to take the lead. Michigan State was given 11 fouls and Iowa was given 12, slowing down the overall speed of the game. At the half, guard Brendan Hausen had contributed seven points f...
The Daily Iowan •

Photos: Iowa Football vs. Nebraska

Iowa defeated Nebraska, 40-16, at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska on Friday morning, taking home the Heroes Trophy for their last regular season game. This was the Hawkeyes’ seventh-straight victory in Lincoln.Both teams starting with a 7-4 record for the season. Nebraska was the first to put points on the board, beginning with their star running back, Emmett Johnson, going on a career-high 71-yard run. The call was reversed, as Johnson had been taken down inches from the goal line, but th...
The Daily Iowan •

Photos: Big Ten Men’s Basketball Media Day

The 2025 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Media Day at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center on Thursday brought together all 18 teams in the conference.
Events kicked off at 11:30 a.m. CST with Big Ten Conference Commissioner Tony Petitti speaking to the media. This then led into breakout podium sessions with all head coaches and the players that they brought along. Throughout these sessions, Big Ten Network would pull each team for fifteen minute interviews that were aired live.
The Hawkeyes first game...
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