Coming off a frustrating, tight loss to Iowa State on Wednesday night, the Iowa women’s basketball team returned home for a Saturday matinee matchup with the Lindenwood Lions.
The result of this game was never in doubt, as the Hawkeyes took care of business with a convincing 104-68 win over the Lions. Iowa did exactly what it should do to an opponent it was a huge favorite over, showing some encouraging signs in the process.
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With the schedule really heating up soon, and a matchup with number one UCONN on the docket next Saturday, what did this win over the Lions show us about the Hawkeyes? Here are the biggest takeaways from Iowa’s big win over Lindenwood.
Hannah Stuelke dominates
It was a difficult night for the Iowa bigs against the Cyclones, but they responded in a big way on Saturday. Hannah Stuelke, in particular, had a great afternoon. The senior forward had an astounding 19 points in the first half en route to finishing with 31 points in the game. She shot 13-18 from the field, finishing with ease at the rim and actively looking for her shot.
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It hasn’t quite been the senior season Stuelke was hoping for up to this point, as she’s averaging her fewest points per game since her freshman season. Maybe this is the game that gets her going as Iowa gears up for conference play. Stuelke is an incredible player with the skillset and leadership to help guide this team to a deep run in March. If she starts playing like this consistently, watch out. Iowa will be a force to be reckoned with in the Big Ten.
Ball movement was excellent
Iowa’s offense as a whole was cooking from the opening tip-off, but the ball movement was the biggest thing that stood out to me on that end of the court. The Hawkeyes finished the game with 31 assists, led by Taylor McCabe’s seven. Entering the game, Iowa was averaging 21.1 assists per game, which was sixth in the country among FBS programs. That number will rise after Saturday’s win.
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There’s a reason why Iowa’s offense is one of the most efficient units in all of women’s college basketball. Everyone knows where they’re supposed to be, the spacing is great, and the passing is effective. This leads to a lot of easy looks at the rim for the bigs and lots of wide-open threes. Even without a bona fide number-one scoring guard, the Hawkeyes possess a top offense nationwide. A lot of credit needs to go to Jan Jensen for that.
Iowa is resilient
This game had the potential to be a prototypical trap game for the Hawkeyes. Sandwiched between two top ten teams on the schedule and coming off a heartbreaking loss, this Lindenwood game presented an opportunity for a letdown game for Iowa. The Hawkeyes made sure this game was never in doubt, completely dominating from the start to ensure they didn’t slip up against the Lions.
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This team played with a lot of heart and energy coming off the Iowa State loss, which was fantastic to see. They take every game and opponent seriously, a trait that will pay massive dividends this season. Every team that has the Hawkeyes on its schedule knows it’ll have to scratch and claw to come away with a win. Iowa isn’t phased when an opponent goes on a big run or when shots aren’t falling. They play their game, and that game is good enough to beat any team in the country on any given day.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa women’s basketball takeaways from dominant win over Lindenwood
