The #4 ranked Iowa Women’s Basketball team looked about as good as you can look in an exhibition season opener. Sure, it was a game against a DII opponent, but the Hawkeyes looked like a well-oiled machine from the second the game tipped off and they rolled to a 108-29 victory against the Nebraska-Kearney Lopers.
“Feels good to get out and play. I thought our execution was good. We valued the ball, we had some really good passing and assists, we owned the paint, shot the ball well, so I mean it was a really good outing,” said Head Coach Lisa Bluder.
The Hawkeyes led 31-10 at the end of the first quarter and 61-15 at halftime en route to the blowout win. True freshman Hannah Stuelke, and Caitlin Clark led all scorers with 18 points apiece. Monika Czinano had 16 points on 6/6 shooting from the floor, while McKenna Warnock (9) and Addison O’Grady (8) added to the total. All 13 players that checked into the game had a basket.
Hannah Stuelke and Sydney Affolter each had six rebounds, while Molly Davis had five. Caitlin Clark had eight assists, while Molly Davis had five. Overall, the Hawkeyes had 24 assists to 12 turnovers. They outrebounded the Lopers 44-25 and allowed just 7 second chance points.
Lisa Bluder agreed that an exhibition game against a DII school is not one that you can draw a ton of conclusions from.
“I think we’re going to go back and watch the film, it’s hard to tell…We’re not going to rest on our laurels this week, that’s for sure. We’re going to get after it and get ready not just the next two games, but we’re trying to prepare for the whole season.”
Takeaways
1. The Hawkeyes showed defensive intensity that hasn’t been present the last two seasons
In 2020-21, the Hawkeyes were dead last on defense, allowing 80.3 points per game. That improved to 306th and 70.2 points per game last season. While 29 points tonight is not reflective of what this season will entail from the Iowa defense, there seemed to be an increased intensity on the defensive end that has seldom been there over the last two seasons.
“I think our team has really bought in that we have to do a better job crashing the boards and that we have to do a better job defensively,” said Bluder. “Our players know that we have a lot more depth that we can use. It makes them go a little bit harder because they don’t have to save themselves.”
Overall, all parts of the defense looked improved. 1v1 guarding, screens, help defense, getting a hand on passes, rebounding and it looked like each player showed desire to be better on the defensive end. Rebounding, in particular, should improve with much more frontcourt depth. Although it looked better, it will be put to the test soon enough with a tough non-conference slate.
“It’s something that we’ve been working on all the time in practice,” said Molly Davis. “For us to come out with that intensity was great to see.”
2. Molly Davis is going to be a really helpful addition to the team
The Central Michigan transfer had a couple of driving layups and finished with six points, but also had five assists. She was also the primary ball handler for a good portion of the second half when Caitlin Clark was done for the night.
“Molly’s addition to our team is such a big addition because we really didn’t have a backup point guard last year,” said Bluder. “I can’t emphasize how valuable she is to our basketball team.”
Davis will be able to take the ball out of Caitlin’s hands and let her play off ball at times, which adds another mini dimension to the Iowa offense, while also taking some pressure off of Caitlin. Secondly, at times last season when Caitlin left the floor, the offense struggled to score, and it started with not having a proper point guard to lead the offense.
With the addition of McCabe and Stuelke, as well as the return of Sharon Goodman and Shateah Wetering from injury, increased depth, plus another point guard in Molly Davis, the Hawkeyes should have a much more respectable second unit this season.
3. Hannah Stuelke is going to be a key contributor sooner rather than later
Last year, Addison O’Grady showed her potential right away as a true freshman in the exhibition game against Truman State. This year, Hannah Stuelke was the one that stood out and she was very impressive in 21 minutes on the floor. 18 points and 6 rebounds on 8/10 shooting from the floor, including a 3pt make.
“I just think she is going to be a fan favorite. I think that people are going to enjoy watching her play,” said Bluder. “She doesn’t know how good she can be yet and that’s the thing. She has no idea how good she can be.”
If Stuelke can cement herself as someone who can contribute as a scorer, inside to outside, as well as a rebounder on both sides of the floor, she will be a huge help off of the bench. She had several strong drives to the hoop and a few looks from behind the arc.
4. Lisa Bluder and her staff have a deeper team than the last two seasons and it’s not close
“There’s no doubt (we have more depth),” said Bluder. “You add the depth, and you bring Sheteah and Sharon back from their injuries and that’s a lot more depth than we had last year.”
At guard, the loss of Kylie Feuerbach opened the door for Sydney Affolter and she looked good this evening as a ball handler, rebounder and defender. The backcourt has the usual three starters followed by Molly Davis and Sydney Affolter. True freshman Taylor McCabe will continue to work to add strength, but she made a pair of three-pointers.
The front court is where Iowa really has a ton of depth. Czinano and Warnock are the starters once again, but behind them there are plenty of options. The aforementioned Hannah Stuelke will get plenty of time at the 4, while Addison O’Grady and Sharon Goodman looked good at center.
Of course, once the season gets into the thick of the non-conference and into Big Ten play, the rotation will constrict some and the minutes will be more calculated, but Lisa Bluder has plenty of options as she looks down her bench during any game.
The Hawkeyes take some time off now and will prepare for their official season opener on November 7th against the Southern University Jaguars. It is a part of a doubleheader at Carver, with the men’s basketball team kicking off the night at 6:00pm with their season opener against Bethune-Cookman. The WBB team will take the floor after with tipoff set for 8:30pm. The game will be streamed on BTN+.
