Hear from Jan Jensen after Iowa women’s basketball beats Western Illinois
Hear from Jan Jensen after Iowa women’s basketball beats Western Illinois
IOWA CITY — Arriving alongside Iowa City’s first significant snow this winter is an intriguing Iowa women’s basketball foe capable of causing problems.
The Hawkeyes (7-0) welcome Fairfield for what is Iowa’s second Sunday home game of the season. The Nov. 30 matchup, scheduled for noon on Big Ten Network, will tip with plenty of white on the ground, after several inches of snow piled up beginning Black Friday evening.
It’ll take more than inclement weather, though, to derail Carver-Hawkeye Arena’s raucous scene. That’s especially true given Fairfield’s mid-major prowess coming off back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. This should be Iowa’s toughest home test to date.
With that, here are three things to watch for and a prediction for the contest.
Can Iowa make the intangible elements matter against a program not scared of big moments?
It can be easy to get into a scheduling routine of rounding up local foes to fill the mid-major spots needed on any Power 4 non-conference schedule. Drake and Northern Iowa are already on Iowa’s slate every season, and there are plenty of others to pick from nearby.
So credit the Hawkeyes for going outside the box on this one, and kudos to Fairfield for accepting the challenge. The first matchup ever between these two programs has a chance to benefit everyone involved.
So what’s on the Stags’ recent resume? For starters, Fairfield was a No. 13 seed two years ago and a No. 12 seed last season, going a combined 59-7 in those two campaigns. They’ve won buy games at Rutgers, Arkansas and Wake Forest. And while none of those compare to what they’ll face in Iowa, it at least provides a source of confidence in an otherwise daunting scenario.
Fairfield’s top two scorers returned for this season in Meghan Andersen (20 ppg) and Kaety L’Amoreaux (18.6 ppg). The current Stags (4-1) have followed up their predecessors with a solid start, which includes wins over Villanova and South Florida, as well as a competitive loss to North Carolina. The Iowa visit is part of an eight-game stretch where Fairfield will play just two home games.
While a win in Carver-Hawkeye Arena would still be stunning, the Stags, at the very least, should test Iowa better than Southern, Evansville, Drake, Northern Iowa and even Western Illinois did. All experience is good experience right now for this young Hawkeyes team.
Hear from Taylor McCabe, Addie Deal after Iowa beats Western Illinois
Hear from Taylor McCabe, Addie Deal after Iowa beats Western Illinois
Can Addie Deal stack another strong game on top of her Western Illinois performance?
With Chit-Chat Wright (upper body) and Emely Rodriguez (back) still considered day-to-day, the Fairfield matchup should be another extended run for Addie Deal.
The freshman guard broke through the first barrier with a breakout showing versus Western Illinois, putting up 17 points, five assists and three rebounds in a season-high 31 minutes. Now comes the time to stack the productive days.
With many highly touted freshmen, it’s a question of consistency and not ability. Consecutive strong showings with Iowa potentially short-handed would go a long way for Deal’s early confidence.
Can Iowa continue its defensive perimeter dominance against a free-shooting Fairfield squad?
Currently ranked the Big Ten’s No. 4 team in 3-point defense (25.4%), Iowa will need to put that on full display against a Fairfield team that loves to fire away.
The Stags are tied for eighth nationally in 3-point attempts per game (31) and 37th nationally in 3-point percentage (36.8%). Andersen and L’Amoreaux are both shooting better than 40% from deep.
This will be another nice defensive challenge for the Hawkeyes after that side carried things in both WBCA Showcase wins.
Iowa women’s basketball vs. Fairfield prediction
Fairfield delivers some early blows, and Iowa must respond to adversity several times in this one. But the Hawkeyes’ depth eventually shines through in a double-digit win. Iowa 80, Fairfield 67.
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.
