Thursday night’s return to Carver-Hawkeye Arena was also supposed to be a return to winning ways for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Instead, following a two-game winless trip to California, Iowa suffered its first home loss of the season to Minnesota, 91-85.
To Iowa sophomore Ava Heiden, the three-game skid isn’t a cause for concern, but instead, a sense of urgency. Jan Jensen seconded her center’s mindset. At 57 years old, the Hawkeye head coach joked her “time is ticking.”
Her players, on the other hand, cast a comfortable look toward the future. Coming off consecutive losses on the road, they might have looked at the Minnesota home matchup as a guaranteed “get-right” game. Nevertheless, the Carver crowd doesn’t grant a victory; it’s up to the players to ensure the Hawkeye faithful head home happy.
“I think there needs to be a little bit more pride and gratitude for what we get to play in front of,” Jensen said. “And by golly, that should (bring) a lot of urgency.”
Jensen described Iowa’s effort as playing not to lose. She referred to the team’s stellar form in the early stages of the season. Ranked No. 20 in the preseason poll, the Hawkeyes didn’t hold the same pressure they do now as a top-10 team.
“When we started to grow, it was pretty fun,” Jensen said. “And we were looser.”
The Hawkeyes’ 21-point win over 12th-ranked Ohio State marked a 9-0 run in the Big Ten, but also the loss of starter Taylor McCabe. Such adversity sparked nerves. The team lost the flair they’d been previously playing and winning with.
“It’s much easier to get to the top than to stay there,” Jensen said. “I want to be the top.”
Giving up 91 points to Minnesota was far from “the top,” as defense was a glaring issue for Iowa tonight. Sophomore Chit-Chat Wright attributed the poor showing to a lack of energy.
“We just try to wait until the last minute to take the energy instead of coming out (early) with more,” Wright said.
Jensen wasn’t pleased with her team’s defense and felt it had a crucial impact on their performance.
“We were very uninspired,” Jensen said. “Our lack of defense controlled our whole effect.”
The Hawkeyes will continue to work with different lineups and pairings on the court to solve their defensive woes. In the meantime, they have six days to prepare for No. 24 Washington.
The six-day gap between games matches Iowa’s longest break since December.
“I hate bye weeks when we lose, capital H to the A to the T to the E,” Jensen joked. “I’m just wired like that. I wish we had a game on Sunday.”
While the break forces Iowa to stew on a loss for the next week, it also allows it extra rest before the opportunity to make adjustments in practice to be ready for the upcoming ranked matchup.
That message is clear for the players moving forward. A perfect home record isn’t attainable, but improving seeding in March remains the focus.
“It’s a long season,” Wright said. “We’ve got to keep our heads down and stay grinding throughout it.”