Iowa women’s basketball’s thumping at the hands of Northern Iowa on Sunday was a dose of reality for the young squad.

The team struggled in its first game away from home. The Hawkeyes were outplayed in all areas of the game — being out-shot, out-rebounded, and committing the same number of turnovers.

“It’s one of those games you want to flush, but you also have to take things away from it and learn from it,” senior Makenzie Meyer said.

With Sunday’s loss in the rear-view mirror, the team aims to bounce back against a quality opponent when Princeton visits Carver-Hawkeye Arena tonight.

Princeton will offer a different threat than the perimeter-based attack Iowa faced Sunday but are even more talented than Sunday’s opponent. The Tigers have had a hot start to the season, boasting a 4-0 record and a road win against a Seton Hall team picked to finish third in the Big East.

In each of their opening four games, Princeton was a force on the boards and shot the ball efficiently.

Princeton’s road win against Seton Hall was particularly impressive, with the Tigers coming back from an early deficit to take control for much of the second half.

Iowa has struggled defensively at times this season, allowing opponents to shoot 42 percent while barely outrebounding them in the process. Princeton is going to be the biggest test for Iowa’s forwards so far this season.

The Tigers boast 10 players over six feet tall, so bigs like Monika Czinano and Amanda Ollinger will be crucial to Iowa’s success.

One of the biggest storylines coming from this matchup is Princeton’s Carlie Littlefield, who is from the state of Iowa. The Waukee native has had a fantastic career for the Tigers so far, earning All-Ivy League honors and becoming an integral member of the Tigers.

“She’s doing a really good job leading their team,” Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said. “Just looks very comfortable out there.”

Another player Iowa will have to look out for is 6-foot-4 power forward Bella Alarie, who has been central to the Tigers’ recent success. The Maryland native is on the National Player of the Year watch list this season and was voted as the Most Valuable Player in the Ivy League last season.

Senior Kathleen Doyle has experience playing with Allary, as the two were teammates over the summer on the USA Team that took second place in the Pan-American games.

“[Alarie’s] a really tough matchup because she’s a player that at 6-foot-4 can post you up but has guard-like skills,” Bluder said.

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Guard Alexis Sevillian returned to Iowa’s starting lineup Sunday, recording 26 minutes of action and scoring seven points in her first game back from injury. Although she is still not at 100 percent, she is feeling much better than where she was a week ago, according to Bluder.

Although Wednesday’s match is another stiff test for Iowa, strong support from the home crowd and an angry mentality after Sunday’s loss should help the Hawkeyes bounce back. The game will most likely come down to which team can control the paint and have more efficient shooting, so a quick turnaround will be critical to the team’s success.

Tonight’s matchup against Princeton tips off at 6:30 p.m. at Carver.