MADISON, Wis. – Amid a sea of red seats, a crowd of black and gold awaited Taylor Stremlow. The second-year guard had just wrapped up her debut at the Kohl Center, just a 20-minute drive from where she grew up in Verona, Wisconsin.
Now, after helping the Hawkeyes clinch a No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, Stremlow received the contingent of friends and family who made the trip – about 350 people, she said.
Of course, standing outside the tunnel to the visiting locker room, Stremlow could see her supporters waiting, but rather than cut across the court and into the stands, she had to take a different route. Instead, she offered a wave and, with a smile adorning her face, Stremlow happily adjusted her course and went back into the tunnel. She and fellow Wisconsin native Teagan Mallegni awaited the homecoming, and their patience paid off.
As a white sign read in the crowd, Stremlow had “let ’em know” in her 13th start of the season, flashing her versatility with 12 points, five rebounds, and a team-high nine assists.
“Really exciting for me,” Stremlow said. “Probably one of my favorite games I played in my college career.”
In finding a replacement for injured starter Taylor McCabe, Stremlow appears to be the answer. Since her promotion to the starting five on Feb. 11, Stremlow is averaging 12.3 points and 5.8 assists per game.
“If she makes a mistake, she usually makes up for it,” Iowa head coach Jan Jensen said. “She’s just so selfless. She’s just a really beautiful person inside and out, and she’s a really fun kid to coach.”
Stremlow’s highlight dime Sunday afternoon came on a bounce pass through traffic to Mallegni, whose reverse layup found the bottom of the net.
Mallegni’s creativity under the rim was the centerpiece of a 4-of-8 shooting day, where the guard scored a season-high 10 points in 15 minutes. Her progress from freshman to sophomore year wasn’t as streamlined as Stremlow’s.
While her Hawkeye debut saw 14 points against Northern Illinois – most by a true freshman in their debut since Caitlin Clark – Mallegni’s growth saw obstacles. She missed time due to tonsillitis and prior to Sunday, appeared in 12 games this season, averaging 5.2 minutes per game and scoring a total of 12 points compared to last season’s 97. In Jensen’s eyes, Mallegni’s place in the rotation lay beyond the player’s control.
“She’s definitely healthy now, but everybody else got all those days to practice, and then sometimes things solidify,” Jensen said. “But for a kid to stay ready and to stay positive despite all the weight of the world on their shoulders.”
Hailing from McFarland, another town within 20 minutes of Madison, Mallegni’s first game at the Kohl Center featured about 130 personal supporters. When she walked on the court and saw a section full of people yelling her name, Mallegni’s mind drew back to high school, where she was the main attraction on the hardwood.
The daughter of two athletes at Wisconsin-Whitewater, Mallegni graduated from McFarland High School as the school record holder in career points, points in a season, and points in one game (62). She was the No. 64 overall prospect, according to ESPN.com, but recruit status fades once collegiate play begins. Even five-star Addie Deal saw her starting role eliminated after three games.
In other words, college basketball is the equalizer, but for Mallegni, Sunday was a nostalgic throwback to what she was, and what she still hopes to be for the Hawkeyes as her career continues.
“Just be the best I can for my teammates,” Mallegni said of the role she wants to play. “Work as hard as I can. The blue-collar plays are emphasized a lot, so just getting on the floor, hustling, doing all the little things like that.”