No. 22 Iowa women’s basketball topples Purdue in Big Ten home opener

IOWA CITY — For an Iowa women’s basketball team still figuring out who goes where as Big Ten play kicks into gear, games that seem lopsided on paper can still become erratic in nature.

That’s not all bad for the No. 22 Hawkeyes so long as the final product still comes out looking OK. Such was the case Sunday afternoon inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena, where Jan Jensen’s crew treated a packed house to a largely solid showing in Iowa’s Big Ten home opener against Purdue.

The Hawkeyes’ 84-63 win showcased their potent depth and the strides the team continues to make, while offering up just enough teachable moments that a developing unit can absorb. It’s hard to argue Iowa didn’t maximize Sunday’s opportunity against a team that entered just two games over .500 with three 30-point losses to ranked squads.

Iowa grabbed a double-digit lead late in the first quarter and maintained it throughout, aside from two Purdue pushes. The Hawkeyes’ cushion dipped from 15 to five during a four-minute stretch early in the second quarter, then slid from 21 to eight midway through the third. Both times, Iowa countered back with a momentum-sucking surge.

A 15-3 run to end the first half saw the Hawkeyes’ freshmen take control with ample opportunity. Aaliyah Guyton’s energy paired perfectly with Taylor Stremlow’s tenacity to spark that needed run. Then it was the starters who took the baton in the third, with Hannah Stuelke, Sydney Affolter, Addi O’Grady and Kylie Feuerbach all contributing on an 11-0 run to end the quarter.

Advertisement

Hear from Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen after Hawkeyes’ win over Purdue

Hear from Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen after Hawkeyes’ win over Purdue

It wasn’t until then that Iowa had its first double-digit scorer of the day, with O’Grady taking the honors on a tough bucket in the paint. Her 12 points led the Hawkeyes on a day when all 10 in the main rotation scored and five finished with nine points. Eight players finished with +/- totals in double digits. At different times, four different freshmen were on the floor together.

Even Jensen herself probably doesn’t know exactly how each 40 minutes are going to look, especially with the foes intensifying from here on out. Sunday offered the perfect lesson on how to handle the unknown.

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.