Women’s basketball returns to Carver looking to extend winning streak
After a tough away stretch, the Hawkeyes return home with head coach Lisa Bluder a win away from her 200th in the Big Ten.
Iowa guard Makenzie Meyer drives forward during a women’s basketball game between Iowa and Maryland at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020. The Hawkeyes defeated the Terrapins, 66-61.
January 22, 2020
After last week’s road trip, the Iowa women’s basketball team returns home with its six-game winning streak still intact despite several close calls.
More milestones are on the line tonight against Ohio State.
Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder is one win away from 200 Big Ten victories in her career.
To reach that mark, the Hawkeyes are putting their 30-game home winning streak on the line against the Buckeyes. To get the victory and extend the streak, Iowa will need to do what it hasn’t of late — start fast.
The Hawkeyes have been outscored in the first quarter their past three games, forcing Iowa to come back late in the game. With that in mind, the team is ready to come out with a hot start against Ohio State.
“We need to be focused right from the beginning and understand that we have to bring our all,” Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said. “You can’t rely on Carver’s terrific crowd to do that for you and get you going.”
Over the past few weeks, Iowa has transformed into a more confident team. The Hawkeyes have navigated a difficult portion of their schedule with great success. Victories over current No. 17 Indiana and No. 20 Maryland have allowed Iowa to ease into the top 20 of the latest poll.
“We’re more confident in each other,” senior Makenzie Meyer said. “We’ve been playing for a while together now, and every game our confidence in each other grows and our chemistry grows. We’ve just had a really great crowds lately, and we’ve been able to feed off their energy.”
Despite an average-looking record, the Buckeyes will not be taken lightly by the Hawkeyes.
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Ohio State has already played three top-10 teams this season in Connecticut, Stanford, and Louisville. The Buckeyes handed Stanford its first and only loss of the season.
Ohio State has had mixed results during Big Ten play after the tough non-conference stretch.
“Do not be deceived by their record,” said Bluder. “They’re a very good team that has eight newcomers, and so they are getting better every time they go out.”
The Buckeyes boast four players 6-foot-4 and over, with the Eastern European duo of Dorka Juhasz and Rebeka Mikulášiková leading the team in scoring. The two combine to average over 23 points per game.
“A lot of people in the Big Ten have those numbers; it’s not anything unusual,” Czinano said. “I think we just stick to our principles, knowing that the four and five duo is taller.”
The Buckeyes have put up respectable averages on both sides of the ball, allowing 64 points per game compared to an average of 70 for themselves. The team has impressive interior defense, blocking just under five shots per game while a modest 38 percent shooting from the floor.
Iowa will need to take advantage of Ohio State’s poor free throw shooting, as Ohio State shoots just 65 percent from the line. If the team can find success shooting from deep and force fouls on the interior, the Hawkeyes should be able to control the game from the start.
Tonight’s game begins at 7 p.m. and can also be seen on Big Ten Network.
