IOWA CITY — Although it won’t go down as the most glamorous season-opening performance, Wednesday more than sufficed as a solid Iowa women’s basketball season opener.
The Hawkeyes hurdled an early injury scare, then turned a modest double-digit halftime lead into a stress-free second half. It all combined for a 91-73 Iowa victory over Northern Illinois in Jan Jensen’s official debut as head coach.
For all the pregame storylines in play ahead of this page-turning night, none of them included an arena holding its breath with anxiety. That became reality once standout Hannah Stuelke hobbled to the locker room after landing awkwardly on someone’s foot during the first half. She spent roughly 15 minutes in the training room before reemerging in the first half’s final stretch.
Stuelke returned in the second half and played most of the way, finishing with 11 points and six rebounds. She was one of six Hawkeyes in double figures, joining Lucy Olsen (19), Teagan Mallegni (14), Kylie Feuerbach (14), Addison O’Grady 12) and Taylor McCabe (11).
A 20-9 third-quarter run turned a 47-35 lead into a comfortable 22-point cushion. The Hawkeyes rode things out from there with little issue.
Sydney Affolter missed the opener while finishing up the recovery process from offseason knee surgery. Aaliyah Guyton and Kennise Johnson were inactive as well as they also recover from knee injuries.
Plenty for Iowa to work on, but a night that unfolded without too much issue. The Hawkeyes return to action Sunday in Charlotte against Virginia Tech.
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.
