Hawkeyes cruise to a 74-41 in-state win over Northern Iowa

There was a record crowd of over 7,100 on hand at the McLeod Center on Sunday afternoon. Many in attendance were hoping to see a big time upset, but instead, it was those in the black and gold that had the most to cheer about. The 21st-ranked Hawkeyes battled through a sluggish start, but ultimately cruised to a 74-41 win over Northern Iowa to move to 4-0 on the season.

“I just felt like we looked a little sluggish and credit to UNI at the beginning. Our offense wasn’t there (early), but I’m thankful that when our offense was a little sluggish that we did have our defense going,” said head coach Jan Jensen. “I wish we weren’t so flat. I wish it would have been a little prettier to watch, but the positive is that we had a flat performance but still won soundly.”

An Iowa offense that has been nothing short of explosive to begin the season finally hit a bit of a rough patch. They went the first 5:33 without a made field goal, before Hannah Stuelke got a basket inside to give Iowa a 6-5 lead. The slow, sluggish offense start was partly due to the Northern Iowa offense deliberately working their possessions late in the shot clock in an attempt to take the air out of the game.

“You’d have to talk to Tanya (Warren) and Brad (Nelson), but I think that’s what they were trying to do,” said Jensen. “Get it down to 10 seconds to slow down our break, so the positive for us is that’s the first time we’ve seen that, and we obviously didn’t handle it. It may not be the last time we see that.”

“That was absolutely the game plan,” said UNI head coach Tanya Warren. “They average 100 points (per game) for a reason, so we were trying to shorten the game. I thought we did a good job of that, but we missed some easy shots, easy opportunities. Then, we turned it over and they’re very, very good in transition, and they score in a variety of ways.”

After Stuelke took the lid off of the basket with that first bucket, the offense started to have a bit more success. Addie Deal knocked down a three-pointer, followed by back-to-back buckets from Layla Hays to open up 13-6 advantage. While the UNI game plan worked to slow down Iowa’s scoring, they were unable to captialize, shooting just 27.3% (3/11) from the floor in the first quarter and that allowed the Hawkeyes to take a 15-8 lead.

“In the beginning, we were kind of rushing our shots, rushing our offense and just playing frantic,” said Chit-Chat Wright. “When we got back in our huddle we just needed to calm down and play our game.”

Although the offense probably never got clicking the way that Jan Jensen would have hoped for, the defense was stifling. They held the Panthers to just one basket over the first 6:03 of the second quarter, going on a 13-2 run that opened up a 28-12 advantage that seemed to be teetering on the brink of insurmountable.

Freshman center Layla Hays was a bright spot in the first half putting up eight points off the bench, helping Iowa to a 35-15 lead at the break. She finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, looking like a player that is quickly gaining confidence in herself at the DI level.

“Layla has been tremendous,” said Hannah Stuelke. “Confidence is a big key for and if she stays confident, she can be the best. She’s been working really hard and getting in extra (work), working on being aggressive and it’s really paying off for her.”

A quick 8-0 run to start the second half, bookended by Taylor McCabe three-pointers ballooned the lead to 43-15. At that point, the contest was very much like the Hawkeyes three previous games. A blowout. They outscored the Panthers 25-7 in the third quarter to take a 60-26 lead into the fourth quarter.

While the game was very much in hand, Chit-Chat Wright continued to show that she can be more than a pass-first point guard. The encouragement from the coaching staff and her teammates has seemingly paid off. She had eight first half points, but added on the second half, including knocking all three shots that she attempted from three-point range. Wright finished with a season-high 19 points and has now made 11 threes through four games.

“That was my brightest spot (of the game),” said Jensen. “That was a big step. Everything was tough sledding, so Chat was like, all right, I’ve got it, I feel it. She probably could have had another ten points because she was trying to play our system, but then just kind of knew we were a little sluggish.”

After the win over Drake, Chit-Chat said she wanted to get back in the gym to improve on her 5-of-11 shooting night. She was 7-of-8 from the floor on Sunday, but still acknowledged room for improvement with four turnovers.

“It’s definitely easier (to be aggressive). It makes it easier because you know that your head coach wants you to take those shots. It gives you a piece of confidence and then, also, my team tells me to shoot those shots. Hannah, when she passes to me, says ‘shoot it Chat’, so I shoot the ball.”

“and it goes in,” added Stuelke.

Layla Hays was the notable scorer, putting up 14 points, but the bench in general had a big impact, outscoring UNI 35-9 in that department. Another sign that the Hawkeyes have a deep roster. With a rotation that can go 10 or 11 players deep, Jan Jensen says it’s important to pass the baton with the right energy, especially if it’s not your night.

“That’ll be a big ticket of who we want to be. If it’s not your day, you pick up a couple quick fouls, it’s the energy with which you transfer that baton, right? I do think that this team is really good at that,” said Jensen. “But this team is human. You’re frustrated you picked up a couple fouls; you’re frustrated you missed two or three bunnies…I do think this team is buying into that. Whether you’re top six or seven or top ten, that role of acceptance and then thriving in those roles.”

On the night, the Hawkeyes shot 45.3% ((29/64) from the floor and 29.2% (7/24) from three-point range. They scored a season-low 74 points, but held up on the defensive end, limiting the Panthers to 22.8% (13/57) shooting, including 19.0% (4/21) from three-point range. Iowa won the rebounding battle 48-37, outscoring UNI 13-9 in second chance points, while they also held a 17-5 advantage in points off turnovers.

Up Next: The Hawkeyes will travel south to compete at the WBCA Showcase in Orlando, starting with a high-profile matchup against the 7th-ranked Baylor Bears on Thursday night. Tipoff is set for 8:00pm CT on ESPN2.