Iowa women’s basketball had a drop in expected production coming into this season, but in a 98-53 win against Winona State on Sunday, key members of the offense stepped up to fill the gap.

Center Monika Czinano, in what was unofficially the first start of her career, shot a perfect 13-13 from the field, scored 27 points, and had three rebounds.

“I’m just so proud of Monika for really seizing the moment, and she’s one of the hardest workers I have experienced, just like Megan,” senior Kathleen Doyle said.

Doyle had herself a big game, as well, scoring 20 points and notching five assists. Doyle’s efficiency from the field summed up the team’s efficiency as a whole, with the Hawkeyes finishing with 14 turnovers and a 60.9 shooting percentage from the field.

The new era of Hawkeye basketball started out with a bang, as Czinano won the opening tip before Makenzie Meyer went inside for an easy layup just a few seconds later.

However, it was not all smooth sailing for the Hawkeyes in the first quarter. Winona State capitalized on several open looks from deep in the first quarter, as the Warriors scored all 15 of their points from deep. Iowa continued to go inside for much of the quarter, with the Hawkeyes shooting 64.9 percent.

After struggling for parts of the first quarter, Iowa exploded in the second. While holding Winona State to just 20 percent from the field, the Hawkeyes went 12-17 themselves to pull away.

Meyer continued to feed Czinano inside as the former tallied 10 points while Meyer notched four assists in the quarter. Iowa continued to dominate in the paint, with the Hawkeyes scoring 18 points inside compared to just two from Winona State.

Meyer lead the team with eight assists, but a total of 23 from the team suggests that the Hawkeyes were eager to share the ball.

“They love the assist, and it’s something that they’re really good at. I think we’re very good at passing the ball, and we’re going to hopefully use that as the year goes on,” head coach Lisa Bluder said.

The big second quarter allowed Iowa to take its foot off the gas for the rest of the game, as the Hawkeyes strolled the rest of the way to win, 98-53. The large lead saw many players get into the game, as 13 players saw at least five minutes of action on the floor.

“I was happy we got so many freshmen in,” Bluder said. “The first time you’re out there in under the lights, in front of the fans, wearing your uniform, your head can be spinning.”

One freshman that got a lot of playing time was guard Gabbie Marshall, with the true freshman scoring 10 points and notching two steals. Marshall is likely to be the future of the program after Doyle graduates, so Bluder was excited to get her some valuable playing time today.

“I have high aspirations for Gabbie. We really need her to get some great minutes, because she’s the point guard for next year,” Bluder said.

Looking forward, the Hawkeyes will play in their first regular season game this Thursday against Florida Atlantic. Iowa tips off at 6:30 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.