IOWA CITY — Of all the coaching cliches uttered throughout an arduous college basketball regular season, coaches and players saying they’re taking things one game at a time can generate the most eye rolls.

Big-picture discussions are everywhere this time of year as the bright lights of March inch a little closer. Conference-race projections, weekly bracketologies, constant chatter about how results offer evidence of what might happen in the NCAA Tournament — all attempts to define each game with future context.

For some squads, that’s a justifiable reality. Several programs are in positions where, no matter how much positivity happens ahead of March Madness, NCAA Tournament results will firmly define season narratives. The last two years of Iowa women’s basketball matches that exact scenario.

The current Hawkeyes, though? They’re walking coach-speak for treating every game as its own four-quarter story. And that’s perfectly acceptable as Jan Jensen’s inaugural squad heads into February planted on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Steps forward, even if they’re sometimes small ones, can be appreciated just as much as the emphatic leaps.

Tuesday’s 85-80 win over Northwestern highlights just that.

Was there more turbulence than Iowa (14-7, 4-6 Big Ten Conference) needed against a team that doesn’t have a win in 2025? Yes. Did the Hawkeyes look like a team ready to charge through a rigorous month ahead that features one intense matchup after another? Not exactly.

But in a game with similar framework as some of Iowa’s most painful losses, the Hawkeyes found the conclusion they needed to keep momentum moving forward. Doing so carries ample significance for a developing group.

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“I’ve always told this team they’re closer than they are farther away,” Jensen said after Iowa snapped a rare three-game home losing streak ahead of Sunday’s highly anticipated visit from Caitlin Clark, JuJu Watkins and No. 4 USC. “So yeah, do I wish it would look as beautiful and pretty? Absolutely. But I’m telling you what, we are learning maybe the not-as-pretty wins are certainly better than a pretty loss.

“So I want to keep getting better. We certainly need to. We have a heck of an opponent coming up. But this particular team, we need to improve in the areas we aren’t great. But we need to celebrate what we do well.”

Amid frustration that a surge of separation never arrived Tuesday night, Iowa made the best of what it had created.

A seesawing game late created numerous pressure free throws, so five different Hawkeyes stepped up and drained all 12 of them in the fourth quarter. That’s a step forward. Mitigating in-game frustration after Northwestern (7-12, 0-8) constructed a double-digit first-quarter advantage, that’s a step forward.

Hannah Stuelke, after missing two games with a concussion amid her shift back to the “5” position, delivered the second-best scoring night of her career (26 points on 10-for-17 shooting and 6-for-6 from the line). That’s a step forward. Aaliyah Guyton continuing to be a vocal presence in tense moments despite being fresh on the collegiate scene, that’s a step forward.

More: Iowa women’s basketball: Hawkeyes survive home slog vs. Northwestern

“I do my mental exercises on and off the court whenever I feel like I’m back-tracking, I have my teammates to help me too,” Guyton said after setting season-highs in points (15) and minutes (31). “Knowing that I’ve put in the work, knowing that my teammates and coaches have my back, that brings energy out of me and that leadership.”

Aaliyah Guyton ready to do whatever Iowa women’s basketball needs after success vs. Northwestern

Aaliyah Guyton ready to do whatever Iowa women’s basketball needs after success vs. Northwestern

Considering all Iowa still struggled with — another slow start, another foe going off from deep, another wave of scoring droughts that disrupted offensive rhythm at times despite the strong final total — the Hawkeyes aren’t in a position to be picky about how their victories look.

To some extent, each night inside this daunting league is a roll of the dice until Iowa proves otherwise. One set of 40 minutes may look completely different than the next 40, which may contrast heavily with the 40 after that. Dialing in on one game at a time while valuing the progress is the proper way to dissect the rest of this season, however, and wherever it unfolds.

“Look at us, we’re pretty young,” Jensen said. “We’re trying to figure it out, I’m thrilled. We’ve shown some growth.

“… There was a lot more attention to detail. And we just got a little bit more confidence while leaning into the moment instead of being on our heels. I think that was a big key tonight.”

Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.