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The new year always brings new challenges.

For the No. 23 Iowa Hawkeyes, it was going up against their undefeated conference rival the No. 8 Maryland Terrapins on the same day they were honoring the accomplishments of former head coach Lisa Bluder and Iowa alumni.

They overcame a 24-point deficit to bring themselves within five points in the waning minutes of the game. However, a comeback of legendary proportions was stifled as the Terps held on for the victory 74-66, dealing the Hawkeyes their first home loss of the season.

The Hawkeyes faced an uphill battle from the beginning as the Terrapins dominated in virtually every aspect of the game. They got out to a quick double-digit lead thanks to sharp 3-point shooting, offensive rebounds and taking advantage of numerous Iowa turnovers. The tandem of Kaylene Smikle and Shyanne Sellers, plus the bench presence of Bri McDaniel, did wonders for the Terps.

Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes, outside of Lucy Olsen’s 11 first-half points, were largely stagnant in scoring, all while the turnovers kept piling up. Their biggest woes came from the 3-point line, as well as missing what should have been easy buckets. After two quarters, the Hawkeyes trailed 48-27. They had 13 first-half turnovers compared to five for the Terrapins.

The Hawkeyes needed to be patient and protect the ball entering the second half. They played with greater poise and, in turn, their defense came alive as they held the Terps to 11 third-quarter points. The dynamic duo of Olsen and Syd Affolter brought the Hawkeyes back from extinction, as they combined for 10 of the team’s 16 points in the third. Although they trailed 59-43, Iowa showed new life.

As the fourth quarter progressed, Iowa had Maryland right where they wanted them. Other players began to come alive. A fastbreak layup off a steal by Kylie Feuerbach, along with a free throw by Hannah Stuelke, had the Hawkeyes trailing 63-58 with 4:42 remaining in the game. Carver Hawkeye Arena was on the edge of their seats anticipating a dramatic comeback.

However, a pair of 3-pointers by Smikle, along with a basket by Saylor Poffenbarger, gave the Terps a 71-60 lead with 2:09 left. Fans started gathering their belongings and heading for the exits. But then, an Affolter free throw, a 3-pointer by Aaliyah Guyton and a second-chance layup by Stuelke brought the Hawkeyes back within five again, 71-66, with 45 seconds remaining. All of sudden, hope for a comeback was in the air again.

Those hopes were dashed after Sellers and Smikle combined for four points at the free throw to seal the deal.

Though in defeat, Iowa coach Jan Jensen took pride in her mixed squad of veterans and rookies for rising to the occasion with their backs against the wall, evoking memories of a time when she was part of a similar comeback. She shared after the game:

As I talked to them at halftime, I said, “Hey I think I blew it for you, it got a little bit tight. Maybe you’re not used to seeing me like that.” I said, “I’ve been a part of a 24-point comeback before.” I said, “I’m really feeling like, if you can cut this thing, but you gotta know I’m not just telling you this to just say it,” and I felt those eyes. I really did. I said, “It’s gonna be harder, it’s gonna be really really hard. We got to get stops upon stops upon stops.” When we got it to six, crystal ball, I would have liked to see if we could have hit something because this place got very loud for us. So I was really pleased.

Jensen sees her team’s ability to respond to a challenge as something to build off of as the second half of the season unfolds, emphasizing:

You can’t really do what we did, even when Maryland was on their heels, if they didn’t really dig in and believe it too, and that’s why they’re fun to coach. I do like that resilience and that’s the thing, when you handle a loss right it can really be helpful. I’m just trying to make sure we handle it right, me included, and I think if we handle it right we can draw on it, draw on this second half, when we get into another dog fight later on. But what I really want to do is make sure we don’t dig a hole like that, especially at home.

A notable presence keeping the Hawkeyes in the game during their second-half spark was their bench. They stayed competitive with the Terrapins, as they were only outscored 18-16. This was in large part to the efforts of three of their freshmen: Guyton, Taylor Stremlow and Ava Heiden. Each of whom made big plays and played with an intensity surpassing their class status. Affolter had praise for the young bench after the game, saying:

I think everyone on the bench and our starters, everyone played such a crucial role on this team. I’ve been in their position too, you never know when you’re going to be called, and they did a great job of that. We need them coming off the bench. Starters, we’re coming off not playing a full 40 minutes, so I think they did a great job. We’re going to need them in the future.

The Hawkeyes’ young depth under Jensen’s leadership also won the praise of Maryland head coach Brenda Frese, who shared:

I’m really impressed with what she’s done with this team to have that type of confidence in your freshmen. They’re playing above the level of most players in conference play. That doesn’t bode well for the rest of us for the future, but they’re really, really good and you can see the trust level that she has. I thought that wore us out in the second half. Their depth was even greater than what we had, being able to get Stuelke in foul trouble, but they really didn’t miss a beat because of their depth that they have.

Iowa (12-3, 2-2) will hit the road to take on Illinois (11-4, 1-3) on Thursday Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. ET.