Iowa focused on defense and rebounding improvement

The 2020-21 Iowa Women’s Basketball team ranked dead last in scoring defense among all DI programs allowing teams to score 80.3 points per game.

Last season, the Hawkeyes made significant strides and lowered their points per game allowed to 70.2.

That ranked 306th in the country, but Lisa Bluder and her team are looking to make another jump this season and another marked improvement could mean a couple more games going in the win column.

“We made a big jump last year in defense. We jumped up about 100 spots according to Synergy in our defense. So, we got better. That's encouraging, but we still have a ways to go,” said Coach Bluder, but she was quick to point out that they are not looking to let it slow their lethal offense. “I want to improve defense, and I want to improve rebounding, but I'm not going to do that at the expense of our offense.”

Still, with an offense that scores as many points as the Hawkeyes, any defensive improvement could be a game changer. Over the last two seasons, Iowa is 27-2 when they allow less than 75 points per game. They are just 17-16 over that same span when allowing more than 75 points.

A subset of playing good defense is rebounding well and keeping opponents from getting second, third and fourth chances due to offensive rebounds. That specifically has been something that has plagued the Hawkeyes over the last couple of years and the last occurrence cost them a shot at a deeper run in the NCAA Tournament. The 10th seeded Creighton Jays outrebounded Iowa 52-37 and in a two-point game, 19 second chance points was the difference. The loss was enough to influence change within the team.

“I think there’s a lot more hunger for it, especially knowing how outrebounded we got against Creighton,” said senior C Monika Czinano. “It’s become a focal point, which it really hasn’t been in the past. There has definitely been a transition there.”

“We’ve definitely improved from last year and I think since our game last year with Creighton that ended our season, we’ve really put an emphasis on defensive rebounding,” said sophomore Sydney Affolter. “If we can improve on that, that’d be really big for us.”

This year’s version of the Iowa Hawkeyes may be built to rebound better than the last few seasons. Sharon Goodman and Hannah Stuelke are added to the group, while Addison O’Grady figures to make a jump in her sophomore season.

“I think the depth at the center position could keep Monika a little fresher, which will help her in that rebounding area,” said Coach Bluder. “I think Hannah Stuelke is an excellent rebounder, I think Syd is a good rebounder, McKenna has and sometimes she just hasn't gone to the boards, so we need to make sure she's always going to the boards.”

“We have the power to do it, I think it really just comes down to your heart and your willingness to rebound,” said McKenna Warnock. “We do a lot of drills basically to make sure we’re getting to the boards. We’re not even keeping track of scoring points; we’re just keeping track of getting rebounds.”

While defensive improvement is needed for the Hawkeyes to reach their goals, Coach Bluder says she is not going to sacrifice their offense to be good on defense. Points allowed are to be expected when the Iowa offense runs in transition and scores early in the shot clock. However, a jump in the defensive rankings and improvement on the boards is the key to making a deeper run in the NCAA Tournament.