Iowa talks upcoming Cy-Hawk game
Head Coach Lisa Bluder, Caitlin Clark and Monika Czinano met with the media today to discuss Wednesday's Cy-Hawk rivalry matchup against the tenth ranked Iowa State Cyclones. We were there to hear everything they had to say and there were several takeaways from the press conference.
This game is a rivalry, but a good one to showcase how much women’s basketball matters in the state of Iowa
Over 12,000 tickets have been sold and of course it’s going to be an emotional game given that it is a rivalry match-up. Still, the anticipation for the game and the expected crowd is a testament to the excitement for WBB in the state of Iowa.
“We’re so lucky first of all that two of the bigger schools in Iowa are ranked so highly. We get to play this rivalry game and it’s a ranked game,” said Monika Czinano. “I know I’m not from Iowa, but after five years, I kind of feel like I’m from Iowa. (This game) means a lot to the state.”
“I can still list a bunch of players that I grew up watching play from all the schools in our state, but I think it just speaks to how good women’s basketball is in our state,” said Caitlin Clark. “There’s a lot of great AAU programs, but All Iowa Attack, that’s where a lot of the girls on both sides of the ball on Wednesday came from…Iowa doesn’t always get credit for our basketball, but its really good and the girls in the state are very skilled. This is a huge game for our state.”
The crowd should make it an electric environment
“They enjoy playing in front of a great crowd and I think there’s going to be a lot of Iowa State fans here too,” said Lisa Bluder. “I hope it’s a sellout. It deserves to be a sellout.”
“Hawk fans love women’s basketball. That’s one of the reasons I came here is because they come and support every single game and they cheer,” said Caitlin Clark. “I don’t expect anything different (against Iowa State). I would say they’ll be even louder than normal…I expect Hawk fans to make it sold out in a couple of days, but we’re lucky we get to play on our home court.”
6’6 C Stephanie Soares is going to be a unique challenge
The Hawkeyes have gone up against a bunch of very talented post players early in the season. Aaliyah Edwards (UConn), River Baldwin (NC State), Jelena Mitrovic (Oregon State) and Serah Williams (Wisconsin) to name a few. That has tested Monika Czinano and helped prepare her for match-ups down the road.
“I’ve been really lucky this season in the non-conference playing a lot of really good bigs and a lot of height,” said Czinano. “That’s been really good for just extending my game and getting that insight and Iowa State is going to be no different.”
The 6’6 NAIA All-American transfer Stephanie Soares has fit in well with the Cyclones averaging 16.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. She is shooting 56.8% from the floor and has the ability to step out and make some shots from three-point range.
“She has a higher usage percentage, she’s averaging more points than their post was last year,” said Czinano. “She’s got great range, can drive from almost anywhere on the floor. That’s just not really something that you see a lot in the Big Ten. That’s something new and unique that I’ll have to play against.”
Ashley Joens is still the one to worry about for Iowa State
Ashley Joens is in her fifth season with Iowa State, and she has averaged 20+ points for the last three seasons, which has led to two honorable mention All-American selection, as well as a Second Team selection last season. Once again Joens is the name to know on the Cyclone roster going into the Cy-Hawk match-up.
Through seven games this season she is averaging 19.9 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, shooting 42.7% from the floor and 37.5% from three-point range.
“I mean she’s an All-American,” said Bluder. “When I heard she was coming back for her super senior year, I wasn’t thrilled with that. She’s a tremendous player, incredibly gifted. I think she’s really improved her three-point shot this year, it’s even better than it was before. She still draws fouls inside, rebounds well, she’s an all-around great player.”
Kylie Feuerbach is not involved in building the gameplan
Yes, Kylie Feuerbach played with Iowa State for her true freshman season and knows several players on the current Cyclones team. However, Lisa Bluder made it clear that she is not asking her to do anything as a former Iowa State player.
“Absolutely not. I’ve never asked Kylie one thing about Iowa State,” said Bluder. “I wouldn’t want to put a person in that position. Maybe that’s me being dumb. I figure if she wants to tell me something she’d tell me, but I’m not going to put a young lady in that position to give up any secrets that she may or may not want to give up.”
No one is surprising anyone, the game will come down to execution and who plays the cleanest game
Bill Fennelly took over the Iowa State WBB program in 1995, while Lisa Bluder was head coach at Drake. Fast forward to 2022 and the two long time head coaches are set to face off for the 28th time on Wednesday. Fennelly has a slim 14-13 lead in match-ups against Bluder.
Monika Czinano and Ashley Joens are playing in their fifth Cy-Hawk game, while McKenna Warnock (3), Gabbie Marshall (3), Morgan Kane (3), Maggie Espenmiller (3), Caitlin Clark (2), Emily Ryan (2), Lexi Donarski (2) and Kate Martin have all appeared in multiple Cy-Hawk games. There aren’t going to be many surprises on Wednesday. Each team knows the others offense and personnel, which means it comes down to the in-game details to decide the winner.
“A lot of it is execution. Last year we turned the ball over more than they did, they got to the free throw line a whole lot more than we did,” said Bluder. “It’s execution and being able to value the ball, so those are things that we can control…We probably do know a lot of what each other are going to do, but it really comes down to the kids just executing and getting it done.”