The No. 4-ranked Iowa women’s basketball team looked as good as we could see in the exhibition season opener. Sure, it was a game against his DII opponents, but the Hawkeyes looked like a well-oiled machine from the moment the game turned over, and he’s the best he’s ever had against the Nebraska Kearney Ropers. won 108-29.
“It feels good to go out and play. I think our execution was good. So it was a really good game,” head coach Lisa Bruder said.
The Hawkeyes took a 31-10 lead at the end of the first quarter and then went on to win 61-15 at halftime. True freshmen Hannah Sturke and Kaitlyn Clarke led all scorers with 18 points each. Monica Chinano scored 16 points on a 6/6 shot from the floor, added by McKenna Warnock (9) and Addison O’Grady (8) to the total, all 13 of her players who checked into the game. had a basket
Hannah Stürke and Sidney Affolter had six rebounds each, and Molly Davis had five. Kaitlyn Clarke has 8 assists and Molly Davis has 5. Overall, the Hawkeyes had 24 assists and he had 12 turnovers. They rebounded the Ropers to his 44–25, allowing just seven second chances on his points.
Lisa Bluder agreed that the exhibition game with the DII school was not one that draws a ton of conclusions.
“I think we’re going to go back and see the movie, but it’s hard to say. We’re not going to rest on our laurels this week, that’s for sure. We’re trying to prepare not just for the game, but for the entire season.
Takeaway
1. Hawkeyes show defensive intensity not seen in past two seasons
In the 2020-21 season, the Hawkeyes were last on defense, allowing 80.3 points per game. Last season, he improved to 306th place and an average of 70.2 points per game. Tonight’s 29 points don’t reflect the results of his defense for Iowa this season, but it looks like the defense has increased the intensity of his ends, which has been rarely seen in the last two seasons.
“I think our team has really accepted that we have to do a better job crashing the boards, and we have to do a better job defensively,” said Bruder. We know our players have more depth than we can use.
Overall, all parts of the defense seemed to have improved. 1-on-1 guards, screens, assist defenses, passing hands and rebounding, each player seemed to demonstrate a desire to be better defensively. Rebound, in particular, should improve with greater frontcourt depth. It looks better, but it will soon be tested on a tough non-conference slate.
“This is something we’ve really been working on all along,” says Molly Davis. “It was great that we came out with that intensity.”
2. Molly Davis would be a very useful addition to the team
The move to central Michigan had several driving layups and finished with 6 points but also 5 assists. He was a good ball handler.
“We didn’t have a backup point guard last year, so Molly’s addition to the team is huge,” said Bruder. “I can’t stress enough how valuable she is to our basketball team.”
Davis is able to snatch the ball out of Caitlin’s hands and force her to play it from time to time. Secondly, when Kaitlin left the floor last season, the offense struggled to score and started off without a good point guard to lead the offense.
With the addition of McCabe and Sturke, the return from injury of Sharon Goodman and Shatea Weteling, more depth, and another point guard in Molly Davis, the Hawkeyes should have a more respectable second unit this season.
3. Hannah Stuelke will sooner or later become a major contributor
Last year, Addison O’Grady quickly showed his potential as a true freshman in an exhibition game against Truman State. This year, it was Hannah Stuelke who stood out for her, and her 21 minutes on the floor was quite impressive. She had 18 points and 6 rebounds in her 8/10 shooting from the floor, including a 3-point make.
“I think she’s going to be a fan favorite. I think people will enjoy playing her,” Brooker said. I don’t know how good it is.”
If Stürke can solidify herself as an inside-to-outside scorer and rebounder who can contribute on both sides of the floor, she could be of great help off the bench. She had some powerful drives into the whoops and some sightlines from behind the arc.
Four. Lisa Bluder and her staff have a deeper team than the last two seasons and are less close
“There is no question (more depth),” says Bluder. “Adding depth helps Shetea and Sharon recover from their injuries, which is a lot deeper than last year.”
At guard, the loss of Kyrie Feuerbach opened the door for Sidney Affolter, who showed tonight as a ballhandler, rebounder and defender. The backcourt has his usual three starters, followed by Molly Davis and Sidney his Affolter. True freshman Taylor McCabe will continue to work to add to her strength, but she made a pair of three-pointers.
The frontcourt is where Iowa really has a lot of depth. Czinano and Warnock are the starters again, but there are many options behind them. The aforementioned Hannah Stürke made plenty of time at 4, while Addison O’Grady and Sharon Goodman looked great at center.
Of course, once the season hits the middle of non-conference and Big Ten play, the rotation deflates somewhat and the minutes are more calculated, but with Lisa Bruder looking down on the bench during the game, a lot of There are options for .
The Hawkeyes are now taking some time off to prepare for their official season opener against the Southern University Jaguars on November 7th. It’s part of a doubleheader at Carver, where the men’s basketball team kicks off at 6 p.m. in the evening for their season opener against Bethune Cookman. The WBB teams will speak at tip-off set for 8:30pm. The game is streamed on BTN+.
