Recovering from an injury is never easy, especially in a short period of time. However, Monika Czinano has managed to get back into the lineup right away for the Hawkeyes.

After spraining her ankle in a nasty collision against Michigan State on Jan. 26, Czinano is back on the court, and has managed to nearly make a full recovery in just 10 days.

“It’s nice to have Monika a little healthier,” Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said. “She’s a big difference maker for us.”

After logging 16 minutes in Sunday’s loss at Michigan, Czinano was locked in and ready to play the entire game against the Cornhuskers.

Czinano played 34 minutes and led the team with 23 points in Iowa’s 76-60 win over Nebraska at home, the team’s 33rd straight win in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

“It felt good at practice yesterday and felt good today,” Czinano said. “We’ve got the best athletic training staff in the world, and they take really good care of us.”

The Hawkeyes started slowly, scoring just 13 in the first quarter as Nebraska put the clamps on and forced turnovers.

However, Czinano’s uptick in offensive performance saw Iowa improve as a whole. After scoring six in the first quarter, the Minnesota native added eight more to get into double digits in the first half.

Although the team somewhat forced looks inside to her early on, Czinano managed to get better ball security and create more open looks as the half went on.

Maybe most surprising was Czinano’s desire to draw contact inside. It would be understandable if Czinano was a bit cautious after suffering a nasty injury through heavy contact. However, she managed to get the foul line several times and was a force to be reckoned with on the offensive boards.

Dealing with adversity is nothing new for Czinano and is something that has allowed her to stand out throughout the season. As if moving from a role player last season to a full-time starter was not difficult enough, she’s had to fill the shoes of Iowa great Megan Gustafson.

Czinano has not skipped a beat throughout the season and has continued to excel on the offensive end as the third leading scorer on the team with 14 points per game.  Czinano cooled off in the second half, but still led the team in scoring with 23 points on 55 percent shooting. She also added eight rebounds, two assists, and only committed one foul in 34 minutes of action.

Czinano’s rebounding stood out in the second half in particular. She managed to draw several fouls on the boards and gave Iowa second chances on the glass. Although Iowa managed to hold its own in the post position with the absence of Czinano, getting her back is another great boost for the team at this point in the season.

“Monika’s really good inside for us on the block scoring,” Iowa guard Kathleen Doyle said. “Amanda [Ollinger] was holding her own in the other games, but it’s nice to have another big player in there, especially so we can avoid foul trouble.”