By Michael McCurdy
Coming off a hard-fought game versus No. 1 Notre Dame, the Iowa women’s basketball team hopes to bounce back in Carver-Hawkeye at 2 p.m. Dec. 4 against Northern Iowa
Iowa enters the contest with a 5-2 record and seeks to get back in the win column when it takes on the Panthers.
On Wednesday, the Hawkeyes hung with the top-ranked team in the country by playing lockdown defense while also rebounding exceptionally well.
Even though the Hawkeyes were down once the final buzzer rang, they gained a fiery swagger and confidence knowing they can play with the nation’s best. Iowa hopes to carry that confidence into its Northern Iowa matchup, fully aware when it comes to March, the in-state games will help boost the résumé.
While the Hawkeyes realize they can play the best, there are still numerous areas the team needs to tidy up if it wants to compete against quality teams such as Northern Iowa.
Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said the high number of turnovers has got to be cleaned up, but as of right now she is uncertain why the turnovers continue game after game.
“You know, this has been happening; we have a lot of turnovers in the first half, and the second half, we get it pretty cleared up,” Bluder said. “It’s been happening like this all year. It’s like the first half, we’re so juiced, I think we’re so ready to go, that we’re almost not playing calm and collected like you have to do.”
The early game mishaps for Iowa might come from the lack of experience on the team — the Hawkeyes start two true freshmen and two sophomores. Bluder still employs her platoon system in the first quarter, letting 10 different players see the court early in the game, which could be one of the direct causes of the extra juice the players experience early on; they are not getting enough time to settle in.
The Hawkeyes are searching for more answers when it comes to bench production, including who is willing to step up and make baskets. Northern Iowa will be a great opportunity for the Hawkeyes to answer some of their underlying questions.
The Panthers are currently 4-2, with those two losses coming on the road at the hands of Iowa State and Oklahoma State. Iowa must be ready to defend the Panther guard Madison Weekly, who averages 17.4 points per game. The Panthers appear to have a heavy backcourt, so Iowa sophomore Megan Gustafson will need to make her mark in the post.
Bluder said she has been really pleased with the fight her team has displayed this season, especially the last game against Notre Dame, and she sees it as a sign of good things to come for these upcoming in-state contests.
“We’ve kept fighting; I’ve been proud of my kids for that,” Bluder said. “And it sounds simple, you know of course you should fight every second you’re out on the floor. But some kids don’t, and when people are down, they don’t. And our kids keep fighting, and I wouldn’t expect anything else.”