Hear from Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen after Ohio State win
Hear from Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen after Ohio State win
IOWA CITY — A whirlwind Iowa women’s basketball week has concluded with the Hawkeyes still unscathed in conference play.
Three top-15 matchups, three victories that keep momentum flowing as Iowa sits tied atop the Big Ten Conference. The latest was a 91-70 home rout of No. 11 Ohio State that saw Carver-Hawkeye Arena put on its best face with a riveting environment.
The Hawkeyes rebounded after losing Taylor McCabe in the opening 30 seconds to a left-knee injury that didn’t look good from any angle. Couple that mental challenge with what was endured at Maryland (blowing a 17-point lead before winning in overtime), and Iowa had multiple chances for the week to turn sour.
But here the Hawkeyes sit, unblemished in Big Ten play alongside national-title contender UCLA. Iowa will carry an eight-game winning streak to Los Angeles after demolishing Ohio State.
A look at what stood out from the win.
Hannah Stuelke adds another notch to this impressive run of production.
Over the years, Iowa coach Jan Jensen has seen seniors handle their careers ending in all kinds of different ways. Some are dialed in from the start. Others need some time to process everything coming to an end.
Hannah Stuelke was in the latter category. After reaching the national championship game in both of her underclassman seasons, followed by a circuitous junior year as a program pillar, Stuelke had seen a lot in three-plus seasons.
“Early, she was nostalgic about being a senior and feeling a little bit of the pressure. ‘I can’t believe I’m a senior. We’ve got a new group.’ Missing what was (here in the past), but in a good way,” Jensen said. “And now you’ve got a lot of new kids. And feeling that pressure of I’ve got to carry it.”
Now, though?
All business.
“Heading into the end of the non-conference, I saw a little shift,” Jensen continued. “And then she had a tougher game at Northwestern (on Jan. 5), but I told her after there were few times I’ve been prouder. She willed us in huddles. Even though she was frustrated she shot really poorly, you could see a senior who’d taken another step.”
Since that game, when Stuelke shot 2-for-11 and mustered just eight points, the Cedar Rapids Washington product has been tearing through Big Ten defenses. Ohio State may have been her most relentless performance yet.
With Ohio State featuring little size and even less once 6-foot-4 freshman Kylee Kitts was ruled out, Stuelke went to work against defenders who had no business trying to stifle her. Stuelke’s 18-point, 15-rebound showing helped Iowa to a 42-14 advantage in the paint.
Over Stuelke’s last five games, she’s averaging 16.4 points, 11 rebounds and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 56%. Although there were some costly turnovers late in the win over Maryland, Stuelke has risen to the level Iowa needs her at to continue this emphatic surge.
“She’s enjoying the rest of the ride,” Jensen said. “That’s exactly where you need her to be because that’s what is lifting everyone else up. I’m just thrilled for her because she’s having a really great stretch right now.”
Hear from Kylie Feuerbach, Addie Deal after Iowa beats Ohio State
Hear from Kylie Feuerbach, Addie Deal after Iowa beats Ohio State
Taylor McCabe’s injury deals a significant emotional blow that Iowa must answer.
Jensen carried a somber postgame tone when multiple questions about McCabe came up. Even someone as optimistic as Iowa’s head coach had only so much to give in a tough situation.
Though Addie Deal’s role will likely increase the most (she had 20 points Sunday), it’ll be a collective effort to replace McCabe if she is indeed sidelined for an extended period of time. Along with her 3-point success and improved defensive prowess, McCabe was the even-keeled voice when turbulence crept in.
“She was a great leader,” Jensen said. “She helped bring Addie Deal along. She was a great young person. She was learning and growing and knew the lessons she was learning. And she continues to grow.
“So when that situation happened, the team just rallied. We gave it about five seconds. I said, ‘Listen, Taylor’s probably not coming back in this game. This is why we’ve been deep. Addie’s ready to go.’ And I called the play.”
McCabe has been a vintage Iowa success story, patiently waiting her turn as a freshman and sophomore on loaded teams with ample guards. Her first season in an expanded role saw McCabe shoot 41% from deep as a junior while leaning into her newfound veteran status.
Iowa cleared the first mental hurdle by not letting an abrupt emotional scene derail the Ohio State win. The Hawkeyes could’ve easily let that negative energy overwhelm into something dire.
“All of us collectively just made sure we stayed together and focused on the next possession,” sixth-year guard Kylie Feuerbach said. “But she was in the back of all our minds.”
Jensen said the day after will be most emotional assuming McCabe’s MRI doesn’t deliver surprisingly good news. Then it’s all about everyone adjusting to their new reality.
Even McCabe.
“(Monday) will be big strategy-wise, but the hardest part about it is getting used to it emotionally,” Jensen said. “That’s the hardest thing, when you’ve got to see one of the fallen. That’s usually the bigger situation. It’s delicate.”
Iowa answered immediately when presented with another chance to protect a big lead late.
Once Jaloni Cambridge’s layup went down with 3:15 left to slice Iowa’s lead to 17, the Hawkeyes invertedly found themselves in the exact situation as their last game at Maryland.
Up 17, three minutes left to cap a forceful effort. Seemingly little drama remaining in a game that had been all Iowa. The Hawkeyes got an immediate chance to deliver a much better ending than they did inside XFINITY Center.
Iowa did exactly that, ending the game on a 10-3 run that left little doubt who was in charge. The Hawkeyes’ only issue these last few games has been protecting big leads with strong fourth quarters, so seeing Iowa push this one across the finish line with authority was significant.
“Obviously last game, we had a bit of a let-up,” Feuerbach said. “Just staying focused on the next possession and not letting them creep back in the game. Defense was a huge part.”
Cambridge poured in 26 points with six treys, but only seven of those points arrived before the halftime break with the outcome still in doubt. Cambridge and the Buckeyes spent the second half playing an unsuccessful game of catch-up.
Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.
