The Iowa women’s basketball team will travel to Charlottesville, Virginia, for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
By Mario Williams
It’s been 13 days since the Iowa women’s basketball team played at home.
That number will increase even more as the team will compete against Virginia tonight in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
The Hawkeyes played tough matchups on the road in Austin, Texas, against Wright State, No. 21 George Washington, and Houston.
After battling toe-to-toe against worthy opponents in a short time span, the Hawkeyes are ready for its next challenge on the road.
“Virginia’s a very athletic and quick team,” Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said.
Preparing for today’s contest hasn’t been so easy. The Hawks rolled back into town Saturday, had Sunday off, and had practice Monday.
Resting has been big for the team after its intense road trip.
“It’s been nice to actually sit down, look at the scout, watch film, and really be able to walk through practice and get a good understanding of Virginia,” Iowa senior Kali Peschel said.
Pescehl noted that she enjoys watching film and getting adapted to the the next opponent.
Practicing much last week in Austin along with competing may have taken quite a toll on the athletes’ bodies, but that may prepare them for what’s to come down the road.
“It was a lot back-to-back,” Pescehl said. “But it’s good preparation for the Big Ten Tournament and a Sweet 16 run kind of thing. It’s good practice.”
Getting into the groove of playing a lot of minutes and games is something new for the senior. Pescehl averaged just 16.4 minutes last season and only 5.1 points per game.
However this season, she’s making her mark on the court with a starting position, averaging 28.6 minutes and 8.4 points
While the schedule has been a tough one thus far, she’s even asked for guidance from former guard Sam Logic on tough practicing and keeping up with matchups in close range of each other.
“It’s been different because I haven’t played as much minutes as I have in the past,” Pescehl said. “I asked Sam, ‘How did you do this last year? Any tips or any ideas?’ It was hard, it was kind of a body shock to me, but it was a fun experience at the same time.”
While making sure their bodies are in shape on the road, Bluder also has other things on her mind for her athletes.
The head coach wants to ensure that as a team, the Hawks will stick to playing “Iowa” basketball and improving on its offense. Perhaps, that may be due to the 114 turnovers the squad has made this season, 16.3 per game, along with many other small errors.
“We haven’t been doing a great job boxing out or rebounding,” freshman Megan Gustafson said. “That was definitely emphasized that we really need to do a better job on that.”
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