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After enduring a lopsided defeat to defending champion and No. 1-ranked UConn before Christmas, No. 14 Iowa came back home to an adoring crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena that watched their Hawkeyes turned the tables against Penn State.
Altogether, the Hawkeyes dominated their way to a 99-76 victory. As a result, they are now 2-0 in the Big Ten and 11-2 overall.
In the process, six players scored in double figures, beginning with Ava Heiden, who led the way with a career-high 27 points. She also snared nine rebounds as she went 13-for-19 from the field.
Chit-Chat Wright got things going for Iowa by scoring 12 points in the first half before finishing with 16 points and six assists. Hannah Stuelke and Taylor Stremlow matched each other with 14 points. Stuelke was 5-for-9 from the field and added eight rebounds. Stremlow had a standout second half with eight points, boosted by a 2-for-2 effort from behind the arc. Addie Deal finished with 13 points, going 6-for-8 from the field.
In under 20 minutes, Journey Houston contributed a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds. After the game, Houston discussed her growth and maturation, emphasizing her increasing confidence in her ability to navigate the unchartered territory of being a 6-foot-0 guard who often is asked to play up on the wing as a 3 of 4.
“Just a lot of reps” she said. “I’m undersized in the position I’m playing right. So I’m really working on my confidence and feel like its started to translate.”
Head coach Jan Jensen likewise spoke about Houston’s emergence, putting the positional challenges she is being asked to take on in context with those experienced by most all freshmen. Jensen said:
The thing is that confidence. The thing that is the hardest for a freshman is, when they are in high school they’re doing everything that they like to do and have to do because they are the best players, or at least one of the top two players. And then when you come to college, it’s just different and it’s bigger, faster, stronger and you are asked to sacrifice. You’re asked to play a different position, you are not going to play 40 minutes out of 40. I think for every new kid in every place, from [UConn head coach] Geno Auriemma on down, it’s just hard and their confidence takes a hit.
She feels sometimes undersized when she’s playing the 4, but when stretch her out, sometimes we have to remind her when she plays the 4, she plays it like a 3. Depending on the matchups it’s going to be easier some days, harder other days. But I just know that when she just keeps in that gym and getting moments like this, the sky’s the limit.
Two noticeable absences for the Hawkeyes were Kylie Feuerbach and Emely Rodriguez.
Feuerbach was out due to an ankle injury sustained during the UConn game with Jensen hoping for a return soon. Meanwhile, Rodriguez is in the midst of an indefinite suspension for unknown team violations before the UConn game. Jensen anticipates Rodriguez playing eventually.
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