Drake women’s basketball coach Allison Pohlman credited Iowa for multiple attributes, but started with the players on the bench. Half of Iowa’s 100 points Thursday night came from reserves, the second consecutive game of at least 50 bench points. All but one Hawkeye tallied a point against the Bulldogs, and for Pohlman, such widespread talent is a tall task to guard.
“Probably their depth,” she said when asked what impressed her the most about Iowa. “You go from one post to the next post to the next post … people were able to step up and make shots.”
Whether it’s first-year center Layla Hays notching her first-career double-double, second-year guard Taylor Stremlow scoring 10 points in eight minutes, or first-year guard Journey Houston wreaking havoc on the defensive end, the Hawkeyes boast talent beyond the starting five.
“The thing that I loved the most tonight, I’ve talked about it a lot to the team is being really ready to pass the baton,” Iowa head coach Jan Jensen said. “Because some night might be your night and you’re out there getting a lot of minutes, and the next night, it might not be your night and you’ve got to give that baton.”
For Hays, Thursday night marked her second consecutive game scoring in double-figures. She shot 5-of-10 from the field, executing on turnaround jumpers in the paint and fooling a defender with a pump-fake for a layup. The formidable trio of her and starting front court Hannah Stuelke and Ava Heiden combined for 39 points on 60 percent shooting.
For second-year guard Chit-Chat Wright, Iowa’s post players running the floor enables an up-tempo offense where the Hawkeyes thrive in transition. Iowa’s second basket of the night came off a steal from Wright, who launched an overhead, one-handed pass to a dashing Heiden for a layup on the other end.
“That’s something a lot of kids would like to play with,” Wright said.
Stremlow started two games last season, when she averaged 2.4 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. Her performance against the Bulldogs marked her second contest with double-digit scoring, her first since Iowa’s first-round NCAA Tournament game against Murray State.
She played 34 games as a freshman and said Thursday such prior experience boosted her confidence heading into this year. Her role coming off the bench is to simply fulfill whatever the squad is lacking, whether it’s cleaning up turnovers or knocking down shots. In the second quarter against Drake, she connected on back-to-back triples to extend Iowa’s lead to 31-9.
For Houston, a graduate of North High School in Davenport, Iowa, her defensive performance grabbed the home-state crowd’s attention. Trapping a defender in the corner helped the Hawkeyes force a shot clock violation, and Carver roared its approval.
In addition to her two steals, Houston provided six rebounds, including four on the offensive glass.
In Jensen’s eyes, Houston features an admirable motor on the court and an awareness on defense with her tipped passes. Such intuition will only help the Hawkeyes on the floor. Once she starts to understand the offense, Jensen predicted Houston to become a “really fun spark plug.”
“Just had a feel of where to go with the ball,” Jensen said. “I think she energizes us when she gets in there.”
Other highlights off the bench included first-year Addie Deal, who scored five points and dished out three assists. She starred on both ends of the floor, nailing a step-back triple and swatting a layup attempt on the other end.
Callie Levin, Teagan Mallegni, and Kennise Johnson also found the basket for Iowa. Johnson’s bucket was her first since January 2024.
The season is still young for Iowa, who has yet to play an opponent with equivalent height. Power conference opponents such as Miami and No. 7 Baylor await in Florida next week. Jensen said rotations are still in-flux right now, but so long as her squad keeps the same mentality and consistency, Iowa is poised to continue its balanced offensive attack.
“If you can bring off really great people who could potentially start off the bench, and everybody is sitting good with that role,” Jensen said. “I think you can be really, really, effective.”