Iowa Women’s Basketball Wednesday: Hawkeyes Take on Nebraska

Losing sucks.

Okay, I got that out of the way. It has been a frustrating run from the women’s and men’s basketball programs at the University of Iowa. The Iowa women’s team has lost its last two contests to #11 Ohio State and #17 Indiana. The Big Ten takes no prisoners. In those two contests the Hawkeyes have gotten consistent scoring out of their big three of Caitlin Clark, Monika Czinano, and McKenna Warnock. They have averaged 30, 15, and 11 respectively. Defensively the Hawks have allowed 88 points over the last two games. You need to look no further than that. Not many basketball games will find you on the winning side giving up that many points.

Here are a few highlights from Iowa’s game against Ohio State. The first shows the Hawks moving the ball very well and Caitlin Clark knocking down a three.

Caitlin Clark continues to score points, points, and more points. She’s crafty for a freshman. Her offensive game has the maturity of a 5th year senior.

The Hawkeyes have gotten some nice production from 5-9 junior guard Tomi Taiwo. She had 13 points against Ohio State and provides some nice defense. Here is Taiwo turning the corner and getting to the rim. Look for Coach Bluder to continue to utilize Taiwo more going forward.

Wednesday at Nebraska 7pm

Coach Lisa Bluder’s hoops squad heads to Nebraska to take on the Cornhuskers. Nebby is 7-6 in the conference, while the Hawkeyes sit at 6-6. Nebraska is 7-1 at home so it will be a great challenge. Nebraska has been up and down. They’ve beaten two ranked opponents, Northwestern and Ohio State, and have lost to Purdue and Minnesota. Such is life in the Big Ten.

Nebraska’s best player is 5-9 guard Sam Haiby. She is averaging 17.4 points and 7.4 rebounds. She is a quick facilitator. She plays downhill and attacks the basket. She is also nice in transition, feeds the post, and can run the pick and roll.

In addition to Haiby, Nebraska has excellent height/length. Their starting lineup includes 6-2 Isabella Bourne (12.8/7.3), 6-3 Bella Cravens (6.3/7.9) and 6-5 Kate Cain (9.7/6.7). The Cornhuskers do a nice job of feeding the post. Here’s an entry pass from Haiby to Cain for two.

A nice high-low action and some terrific footwork by Bella Cravens.

The Hawkeyes can make some ground in the Big Ten and make some in regards to their NCAA tourney seeding by going to Nebraska and coming away with a win. If Iowa can defend and win the rebounding margin, the Hawks can get back on track with a hard-fought road victory in the Big Ten. Go Hawks!