The Iowa women’s basketball team has been understaffed in recent games, with six of the Hawkeyes’ roster of 13 out with injuries.

Two Hawkeye starters, juniors Gabbie Marshall and McKenna Warnock, were injured during Jan. 31’s Iowa-Ohio State game, bringing the Hawkeyes’ already undersized roster down to seven.

Marshall, who suffered a shoulder injury, returned to the starting lineup on Feb. 9 against Minnesota, registering three points and two rebounds in 25 minutes of play.

Now, Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder is optimistic that Warnock, who injured her wrist, will return for No. 25 Iowa’s matchup against No. 15 Maryland on Monday night at 8 p.m.

“Maryland is a great basketball team,” Bluder said. “I’m hoping to have McKenna back, but we’ll see. I have no idea. It’d be nice to have a full squad going into that game.”

The Terrapins will also be shorthanded coming into Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Monday. Maryland has only had eight available players for its past two games against Nebraska and Wisconsin.

Terrapin reserve guard Faith Masonius is out for the season with an ACL injury. Maryland starting guard Ashley Owusu, who averages 14.3 points per game, injured her ankle on Feb. 3 and has not played since. Graduate student Channiese Lewis is also out for the season to focus on her mental and physical health.

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Iowa and Maryland share identical 10-3 Big Ten records in 2021-22. The last time the Hawkeyes and Terrapins met, Maryland reigned victorious, 104-84, in the 2021 Big Ten Tournament Championship Game.

“Obviously, that’s going to be a huge game,” Bluder said of matching up with Maryland. “I mean, we’re kind of locked in with them in the standings. We only have one contest against them — kind of like Ohio State, and we lost that one — so this one becomes even more important.”

Iowa’s game against Maryland is the first in a string of ranked matchups. Of the Hawkeyes’ five remaining games, three will pit Iowa against highly rated foes: No. 15 Maryland on Monday, No. 7 Indiana on Feb. 19 and 21, and No. 4 Michigan on Feb. 27.

Sophomore point guard Caitlin Clark is up for the challenge.

“I want to play the best competition, we want to play the best competition,” Clark said. “We have a lot of opportunities to continue to build our résumé for March, and that’s what you want. We’re gonna have a lot of opportunities to beat some really good teams, especially here on our home court.”

The Hawkeyes will play the Terrapins, Hoosiers, and Wolverines one time each on the Carver-Hawkeye Arena hardwood to end the regular season.

While Bluder said that she’s trying not to focus on the postseason, she’s hoping the Hawkeyes can be as healthy as possible when the calendar turns to March.

Sophomores Shateah Wetering and Sharon Goodman will not return during the 2021-22 season, as they are out with torn ACLs.

But senior forward Logan Cook and freshman guard AJ Ediger have a chance to return before the season concludes. Cook injured her lower leg in early January, and Ediger suffered a high ankle sprain on Jan. 31.

“We do have a lot of really big games coming up, and a lot of opportunities,” Bluder said. “So, that’s why I’m hoping to get our whole team healthy coming down the stretch here. I don’t know if it’s March urgency yet, but if you look at the big picture, it can be daunting a little bit.”