Iowa women’s basketball looks to bounce back Sunday against Drake

No. 2 Hawkeyes suffered their first loss Thursday against Kansas State

IOWA CITY — It was ugly. It was a loss.

It was an ugly loss.

But it was only one loss. And they weren’t going to go undefeated anyway, right?

“It’s not going to break our season,” Caitlin Clark said after second-ranked Iowa dropped a 65-58 women’s basketball verdict to Kansas State on Thursday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

“The exciting part is that we get to come back to work (Friday).”

There is work to be done.

After three wins, each impressive in their own way (a pair of blowout victories, plus a down-to-the-wire triumph over then-No. 8 Virginia Tech), the Hawkeyes (3-1) followed with Thursday’s clunker in which they made 2 of 21 shots from 3-point range.

“They beat us at crunch time,” Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said, in reference to K-State’s 12-0 game-ending run.

Next up is Sunday’s test against Drake (6 p.m., at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, FS1).

“The Drake game is going to show a lot about this group,” Clark said.

The Bulldogs are 3-0, including a home win over Iowa State last Sunday. So if you’re keeping track of Big Four standings, the Hawkeyes and the Bulldogs both are 1-0.

“Any time you beat Iowa State, you open everybody’s eyes,” Bluder said.

Iowa has won five straight — and 19 of the last 20 — against Drake, where Bluder coached between 1990 and 2000.

Both teams have explosive tendencies offensively. Drake is averaging 85.7 points per game, Iowa 83.5.

Four Bulldogs are averaging in double figures, led by sixth-senior senior Grace Berg (19.0 ppg).

“She is an experienced post player. She’s agile, she’s athletic,” Bluder said.

The Hawkeyes’ interior crew — Hannah Stuelke, Sharon Goodman and Addison O’Grady — combined to make 7 of 12 shots against K-State.

The trio is shooting nearly 70 percent as a unit (46 of 66). Now, the aim is to get them all more touches.

“Our posts need to have more looks,” Bluder said. “We have to have faith in them, and I don’t know if we do.”

Bluder’s lineup and rotation remains fluid. Four players (Clark, Stuelke, Gabbie Marshall and Kate Martin) have started all four games.

The other spot has been shared by Molly Davis (two starts), Goodman (one) and Sydney Affolter (one).

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com