IOWA CITY — For all the unknowns surrounding Iowa women’s basketball this season, there was only one way for Wednesday’s exhibition to unfold productively.
Ample contributors. Plenty of dominance. Little to no scoreboard drama.
Check. Check. And check.
Buoyed by an explosive first half that saw all active Hawkeyes appear and all but two of them score, Iowa rolled to a 110-55 over Division II Missouri Western inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The win served as Jan Jensen’s soft open leading the Iowa program, with her real debut coming next Wednesday versus Northern Illinois.
In all facets, this was a perfect dress rehearsal. With Sydney Affolter still sidelined following minor knee surgery, Iowa trotted out a first five of Lucy Olsen, Taylor McCabe, Kylie Feuerbach, Hannah Stuelke and Addison O’Grady — then rotated through several different lineup combinations. Productive moments followed for just about everyone.
Olsen’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena debut finished with 14 points, six rebounds and six assists — her trademark shooting sleeves helping splash home multiple mid-ranges and treys. It was Stuelke, though, who drained Iowa’s first trey as part of an 18-point evening, her agility and quickness even more apparent with no knee brace or wrap. Feuerbach cracked double figures as well with 14 points and three treys.
Several extended stretches from freshmen offered promise for what’s ahead. Teagan Mallegni (17 points) drained four treys to accentuate her versatility. Nine rebounds and time spent diving on the court highlighted Taylor Stremlow’s debut. Ava Heiden (10 points) showcased clearing space on several possessions.
Some other box score numbers that popped in this lopsided affair: just 15 Iowa turnovers, Olsen’s ridiculous +/- of 57, an emphatic 55-24 rebounding edge and just 11 treys surrendered on 42 attempts. Iowa forced Missouri Western into a 6 1/2-minute scoring drought to punctuate the defensive effort.
Plenty of questions about this Iowa team will be answered as the competition intensifies. As for now, though, it’s hard to envision Wednesday’s exhibition going much better.
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.
