Iowa women’s basketball (10-1, 1-0 Big Ten) is gearing up to square off against the defending national champion and top-ranked UConn Huskies (10-0) on Saturday in the Shark Beauty Women’s Champions Classic. The matchup between the No. 12 Hawkeyes and No. 1 UConn is one of the top games of Week 7.
As Iowa readies to face the Huskies, there’s still uncertainty surrounding the injury status of wing Emely Rodriguez. The 6-foot sophomore from the Dominican Republic has reportedly been dealing with a back injury and hasn’t played for the Hawkeyes since seeing four minutes of action in a 64-61 win over Miami in the second game of the WBCA Showcase on Nov. 22.
Advertisement
On Tuesday, Iowa head women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen was asked for an update on Rodriguez’s injury status.
“Still just day-to-day with that one,” Jensen said.
Iowa’s win over Lindenwood was the third straight home game that Rodriguez has missed, but it was the first where she wasn’t on the Hawkeyes’ bench at any point. Jensen was asked in a follow-up if Rodriguez is still with the team and if her absence remains injury related.
“She is as of right now,” Jensen said.
It’s a curious response from coach Jensen on Rodriguez’s status with the team.
Before Iowa traveled to Iowa State for the Cy-Hawk game, Jensen commented on the origin and nature of Rodriguez’s injury.
Advertisement
“It was either a tweak when we were in Florida after a practice or right when we came back. It hasn’t gotten to the place where she feels comfortable returning yet with the rehabbing,” Jensen said on Dec. 9.
Like on Tuesday, Jensen seemed uncertain of Rodriguez’s situation after Iowa topped Lindenwood over the weekend.
“There’s a lot of things I’m trying to figure out with that one. So it’s definitely day-to-day,” Jensen said of Rodriguez after Iowa beat Lindenwood on Saturday.
Iowa and UConn are set to tip off at 12:30 p.m. CT on Fox from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. It’s the first meeting between the two programs since they met in the Final Four of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Advertisement
Iowa won that contest, 71-69, as forward Hannah Stuelke scored a game-high 23 points.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Josh on X: @JoshOnHawks
This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa women’s basketball shares cryptic Emely Rodriguez injury update
