Sometimes all a team has to do is hang around.

That’s what Iowa women’s basketball did in its home matchup with North Alabama on Thursday night, and it was enough to grab the victory, 86-81. Production came from all over the floor for the Hawkeyes, with four different players scoring in double digits.

It wasn’t a conference win for Iowa, nor was it even a Power 5 opponent, but North Alabama was determined not to go down easy. Guard Kenysha Coulson ended up being a big problem for the Hawkeye defense outside the arc, finishing the game shooting 4-for-5 from 3-point range.

Iowa figured it would see a concerted effort from North Alabama in outside shooting. The Lions finished up the night shooting 33 percent from deep.

“I was really impressed with their 3-point shooting,” Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said. “I think they’re excellent 3-point shooters. We did a pretty good job on that. They’ve been shooting about 40 percent from 3-point range, so we held them below that, but obviously [we] gave up too many in transition.”

At times, the new offensive guard-based philosophy seemed shaky for the Hawkeye offense. The team struggled in shooting from outside —only shooting 20 percent after the first half — and committed 8 turnovers to yield only 8 assists.

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But the experience in the backcourt with senior starters Kathleen Doyle and Makenzie Meyer dragged the team along on its grinding victory over North Alabama, especially in the second half.

Known for her affinity behind the arc, Meyer’s 0-for-1 start spelled danger for the Iowa offense. But she came alive in the second half, where she dropped 13 of her 20 points of the night.

“I was cold in the first game, too, and in the first half [today] I missed a three, so I was just ready to see a three fall,” Meyer said. “And once I saw that lid come off the hoop, I felt a lot better.”

North Alabama could have been a trap game for the defending Big Ten Champions — the Lions stole a win over Vanderbilt in similar style a year ago.

Only a few points separated the teams when Doyle limped off the court in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury. An upset seemed to be threatening, but freshman guard Gabbie Marshall answered the call in her big moment, knocking down a 3-pointer just seconds later and putting the game out of reach for North Alabama.

With Alexis Sevillian out with injury, Marshall started her first game at the college level. Redshirt freshman Kate Martin also saw significant action on the night, and the pair of first-years added 19 points.

“I do have confidence, [the freshmen] are all really good basketball players,” Bluder said. “[Kate] is physical, she’s strong, she’s in control. That’s really nice to see. [For Gabbie], coming out here and having to be a starter in your second game as a Hawkeye is hard. She didn’t let it phase her at all.”

Not all of the scoring was on the outside. Coaches warned against comparing Monika Czinano to Megan Gustafson before the season started, but the sophomore shot 9-for-9 on the night with 18 points. She’s only missed one shot from the field in 2019.

The team next faces Northern Iowa at 2 p.m. Nov. 17 in Cedar Falls.