Former Iowa women's basketball star wins 2026 WNBL championship

Lucy Olsen is officially a champion as the former Iowa women's basketball star point guard and current Washington Mystics depth player was a critical piece in the Townsville Fire's 108-105 overtime victory over the Perth Lynx in Game 2 of the best-of-three 2026 WNBL Championship Series from the Perth High Performance Centre on March 1.

Olsen entered the WNBA Championship Series with high praise from her own head coach, who had labeled the former Hawkeye as the Fire's potential "X-Factor" against the Lynx. The 5-foot-10 guard also reeled in the 2026 WNBL Sixth Woman of the Year Award, as the Australian league's best scoring option off the bench in the regular-season.

Championship #5 in YR25 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆

🔥 Fire 108
🐯 Lynx 105#OrangeArmy#Champions#WNBL26pic.twitter.com/NOqJZkAewD— Townsville Fire (@TownsvilleFire) March 1, 2026

In Sunday morning's series-clinching Game 2 from Perth, Western Australia, Olsen finished with 15 points on 4-for-8 shooting from the field, 2-for-5 from 3-point territory, and 5-for-6 from the free-throw line, to go along with five assists, one rebound, and one steal in just over 27 minutes of action off the bench.

Olsen finishes her first year in Townsville with an average of 8.4 points, 3.3 assists, 2.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 0.2 blocks per contest through 27 games played, while shooting 37.7% from the field, 31.1% from three-point range, and an outstanding 89.2% accuracy from the free-throw line.

While it is unclear whether she will plan on returning for the 2026-27 WNBL season, the Mystics' 2025 second-round (No. 23 overall) WNBA draft selection clearly made the most of her experience in the "Down Under" through increased playing time and exposure against many of Australia's top women's basketball stars.

As for Olsen's immediate future on the court, it will obviously depend on how the continued WNBA collective bargaining agreement situation unfolds in the coming weeks. If a 2026 WNBA season is held (in any capacity), she will likely serve as a reserve role for Washington, but with a much more rounded skill set from her time in Townsville.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Former Iowa women's basketball star wins 2026 WNBL championship