CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – An unsightly opening act improved to a comfortable lead and a relaxing Sunday afternoon of basketball theater at the McLeod Center. Performing in front of a record crowd of 7,146 the Iowa women’s basketball team defeated the University of Northern Iowa, 74-41, in the most-attended game in the venue’s history.
With nine new players on the roster, an in-state road game experience would be unique, Iowa head coach Jan Jensen said. She said her team started “a little sluggish” on offense but a maintained a stout defense to keep UNI at bay. The 74 points were a season-low for the Hawkeyes, but the 41 allowed was a season-best.
“You can have a flat performance but still win soundly, right?” Iowa head coach Jan Jensen said postgame. “I think that’s great. I wish it weren’t so flat, I wish it would’ve been a little prettier to watch.”
Second-year guard Chit-Chat Wright led the Hawkeyes with 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor. First-year center Layla Hays followed with 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Every Iowa player saw action as the squad piled on 35 bench points.
Iowa shot 45.3 percent from the floor and held UNI to 22.8 percent. The 41 points allowed were the second time the team held an opposing squad under 50 points.
Unlike the contest’s opening minutes, Iowa began the second half on an 8-0 run, complete with a triple on each wing from Taylor McCabe and a steal-and-score from Kylie Feuerbach. The Hawkeyes began with a 20-point advantage to open the frame, and the edge grew to 30 with a three from Taylor Stremlow. The Hawkeyes shot only 29.2 percent from deep for the game, with Wright connecting on all three of her attempts.
“Everything else was tough sledding, so Chat said, ‘OK, I got it,’” Jensen said. “She probably could’ve had another ten [points] easy.”
Upon her transfer to Iowa from Georgia Tech, Wright was known for being a pass-first point guard. Last season with the Yellow Jackets, she shot only 37.1 percent from the floor and 32 percent from deep. Nevertheless, Jensen and the coaching staff have encouraged the 5-foot-4 Wright to take shots, and so far this season, she’s shooting 66.7 percent from the field, including a 61 percent mark from distance.
Referring to herself as a “gym rat,” Wright prioritizes improvement, pointing out her team-high four turnovers.
“I just love staying in the gym and working on the little things that people don’t see,” Wright said. “But it shows in the game.”
The Hawkeyes started the first half stagnant, shooting 1-of-7 from the field and not making their first made field goal until Hannah Stuelke’s basket with 4:42 remaining in the first quarter. The Panthers forced long possessions for the Hawkeyes, who entered the contest averaging 101 points per game. UNI head coach Tanya Warren admitted as such during her postgame press conference.
“Try to shorten the game,” she said. “I thought we did a good job of that. We missed some easy shots, easy opportunities, and then we turned it over. And [Iowa] is very, very good in transition and they score in a variety of ways.”
One of these scoring methods is simply the depth of the Hawkeye roster. After a timeout, Addie Deal and Hays sparked instant offense off the bench. Deal drilled a triple and Hays scored twice in the post as Iowa took a 15-8 lead at the quarter break.
“They stepped it up and did what we [starters] couldn’t do,” Stuelke said.
A 13-1 Hawkeye run created a 35-15 halftime lead. Iowa second-year Emely Rodriguez scored a second-chance basket – two of Iowa’s 12 for the first half – and completed a coast-to-coast contested layup during the stretch. The Hawkeyes finished the half shooting 47 percent from the floor and 1-of-5 from three-point land during the frame.
Up Next
Iowa heads south to Orlando, Florida, for a pair of power conference matchups in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Showcase. The Hawkeyes first take on No. 7 Baylor on Thursday, Nov. 20, at 8 p.m. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN2. The Bears are 4-0, including a ranked win over Duke in the season opener.
Baylor second-year guard Taliah Scott leads the squad with 25.3 points per game. Baylor last played Iowa in April 2019, handing the Hawkeyes a 30-point loss in the Elite Eight.