The No. 18 Iowa women’s basketball team is first in the Big Ten at 17-3, with an 8-1 record in the conference. Yet not all its conference games have come easy, especially on the road.

Outside of their 77-51 victory at Northwestern on Jan. 5, the Hawkeyes have made not had it easy away from Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Iowa lost its first conference game at Nebraska, 78-69, on Dec. 28 and won its two other road games by a combined margin of eight points against Minnesota and Wisconsin. In both of those games, they had to overcome double-digit deficits.

Every game in the Big Ten is tough, regardless of the opponent. Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder is not taking Penn State lightly tonight, despite the Nittany Lions’ 1-8 conference record.

“[Penn State] just keeps getting better and better as the year goes on,” Bluder said. “Knowing that we have to go their place is obviously concerning and something we’re going to have to prepare for.”

The Nittany Lions have two players averaging double-digits in scoring on the year. Junior guard Kamaria McDaniel is averaging 20.1 points per game, and senior guard Siyeh Frazier is averaging 12.8. Iowa must be strong defensively on the perimeter to ensure those guards don’t get hot.

“They can shoot 3’s,” Bluder said. “They can penetrate; they are quick. We definitely have to keep the ball out of their hands as much as possible and provide as much help as we can on them.”

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The battle between McDaniel and Iowa senior guard Kathleen Doyle should be the highlight of the game. In conference games, McDaniel is first in the conference with 22.7 points per game and Doyle is right behind her at 22.6.

Both teams are well suited when it comes to free throws. In conference games, both the Hawkeyes and Nittany Lions are tied with a free-throw percentage of 77.1 percent.

Senior guard Makenzie Meyer is first in conference games in free throw percentage, shooting 93.8 percent, while Doyle is fourth with 80.9 percent. McDaniel is sixth with 78.9 percent.

“It could be a major factor in this game,” Bluder said. “Both teams shoot really well from the free-throw line. We just have to try to get there a little more often than they do.”

The Hawkeyes might be without their sophomore center Monika Czinano, who will not start.

Sunday against Michigan State, Czinano suffered a senior ankle sprain going for a layup. It’s not originally as bad as the team thought it was, but she is taking things day-by-day. The team will make the decision on whether to play her after shootaround.

Freshman McKenna Warnock will take Czinano’s place in the starting lineup. She posted a career-high 22 points on Sunday in relief of Czinano.

Due to Iowa’s injury situation, it’s possible freshman Kate Martin and sophomore Logan Cook see playing time against Penn State. Even if Czinano’s not in the lineup, Iowa is confident in the players who will be on the court.

“We’ve had to win games when [Czinano] has fouled out and win games and be in games when she is on the bench,” Bluder said. “So, in a strange way, it’s kind of prepared us for this situation a little bit more.”