The Iowa women’s basketball team might be without three players for the opening of its Big Ten schedule Saturday night against Rutgers. The Hawkeyes have played their last two contests without guards Chit-Chat Wright, Emely Rodriguez, and Teagan Mallegni, and while head coach Jan Jensen each are day-to-day, none have practiced so far this week.
“I think that we’re still a little bit of a ways with Teagan’s recovery, but I’m a little bit crossing my fingers about Chat and Emely,” Jensen said at media availability Thursday morning.
Mallegni is recovering from having her tonsils removed. Wright is dealing with an upper body injury and hasn’t seen action since taking a hard fall on a drive against Baylor on Nov. 20. She ranks first on the squad with 4.5 assists per game, first in three-point percentage at 60 percent, and third in field goal percentage at 58 percent. Rodriguez, averaging 7.2 points per game, played just four minutes against Miami before exiting with a back injury.
Despite the trio of absences, Iowa went on to defeat Western Illinois and Fairfield to remain perfect on the season, with reserve Taylor Stremlow taking on the workload. During those contests, both starts, the second-year scored a combined 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting and dished out 12 assists.
First-year Addie Deal also provided a spark, scoring a career-high 17 points against Western Illinois and shooting 64.7 percent from the field over the last two games.
When Wright, Rodriguez, and Mallegni return, which Jensen said won’t all be at once, lineups and substitutions will have to be re-learned. Nevertheless, Jensen took pleasure in the fact her squad found a way to win, which only emphasizes the team’s “next-person in” philosophy.
Especially without the trio of guards, Iowa will need its depth to shine on the road in Piscataway against Rutgers. Despite ranking last in the Big Ten in points per game, the Scarlet Knights are 7-2 and appear in an odd spot on the Hawkeyes’ schedule.
Iowa has arguably more difficult matchups on the horizon with contests against No. 10 Iowa State and top-ranked UConn later this month. Throwing a conference game before these pivotal matchups requires players to compartmentalize, especially with a younger lineup.
“Getting the older kids to translate how difficult it is to win on the road, that is a concern,” Jensen said. “I’ve been talking about it. I definitely haven’t made it just another road game.”
The Hawkeyes fly out to Newark, New Jersey, tomorrow morning and will prepare to face a Scarlet Knights roster that features height across multiple positions. While Rutgers’ tallest player stands at 6-foot-3, the squad features tall guards like 6-footers Faith Blackstone and Antonia Bates.
Jensen said height advantages correlates with longer reach, rendering post-entry passes difficult and increasing the importance of ball fakes.
On offense, Rutgers relies on feeding the high post. Jensen highlighted second-year forward Zachara Perkins as someone Iowa needs to watch out for in transition. Perkins ranks second on the team in scoring and fourth in rebounding.
The Scarlet Knights’ main offense derives from third-year Nene Ndiaye. Hailing from Saly, Senegal, Ndiaye averages 16.2 points per game on 52 percent shooting from the floor.
Iowa faces off against Rutgers at 5 p.m. Saturday on FS1.
