Women's Fastbreak On SI

Jan Jensen Sends Iowa Emphatic Locker Room Message Amid Team NCAA Tournament History

Iowa Hawkeyes coach Jan Jensen was stoked about her team setting a program NCAA Tournament record on Saturday.

Grant Young

Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Jan Jensen reacts during a Big Ten women’s basketball game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Jan Jensen reacts during a Big Ten women’s basketball game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. / Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In their first NCAA Tournament game without Caitlin Clark in four seasons, the Iowa Hawkeyes got off to a fantastic start in their 2025 tournament campaign on Saturday, defeating No. 11 seed Murray State by a score of 92-57.

This win had to feel great for Jan Jensen, marking her first NCAA Tournament victory as a head coach after spending over two decades as Lisa Bluder's top assistant.

She especially must have liked seeing her team amass a whopping 28 assists during the game, which set the Iowa program record for most assists in an NCAA Tournament game.

In fact, we know exactly how Jensen was feeling about this record, as the Hawkeyes women's basketball team's X account posted a video of Jensen addressing her locker room after the game ended.

"This team... set a record that nobody before has done, most assists in an NCAA [Tournament] game!" Jensen said before her team erupted in applause. "Listen to me: There have been great teams from the 90s. YOU, YOU are the team, you're the team in the record book for how you shared the ball, for how you leaned into these moments, how you have prepared for when your number was called.

"Are you kidding me that we set a program record? THAT IS AWESOME! Love you guys," Jensen added.

The first-year head coach later commented on this X post by writing, "Our Hawks set an Iowa record for most assists in an NCAA Tournament game… 28 assists, are ya kiddin’ me?!😎 Just so proud of the way our team uplifts & supports each other.👏🏼👏🏼".

The vibes are clearly high for Iowa ahead of their second-round NCAA Tournament game against No. 3 ranked Oklahoma on Monday.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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