Iowa women look to rebound Sunday against Illinois at home
Hawkeyes coming off 86-69 loss at Indiana Thursday
By Susan Harman
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa, Indiana and Illinois complete a one-week round robin Sunday when the Illini visit Carver-Hawkeye Arena for a noon meeting.
This quirk in the schedule presents a real test for an Iowa team that was battered by the Hoosiers on Thursday night in an 86-69 loss. It’s a different kind of test than an Indiana team whose strengths mirror Iowa’s.
The Illini have two quality bigs (Kendall Bostic, Camille Hobby) and quick, dynamic guards (Makira Cook, Genesis Bryant, Adalia McKenzie) who slice through the defense to get to the rim.
Illinois beat Indiana last Monday, 86-66. IU coach Teri Moren was unhappy with her team’s effort.
“We got bullied all afternoon,” she said. “They just put their heads down a drove it. They’re a hard matchup for us. We couldn’t keep them in front of us, and we had no rim protection from our bigs.”
Illinois beat Iowa in Champaign a year ago. The Illini were predicted to be on the right path for a breakout season this year but up until recently struggled to meet those expectations.
“I think we’re all pretty surprised by Illinois because they’re really good, and they didn’t lose much,” Iowa Associate head coach Jan Jensen said. “I think what we saw Monday and we’ve seen a couple times this year is that’s really who they are.
“I think they’ve really figured it out lately.
“They’re just a tough matchup, and I think Teri and her staff found that too. They’re very hard to guard because they can go downhill fast. Makira Cook is amazing in how she can get to the rim, but she’s also got amazing pull-ups. Kendall Bostic is slightly undersized, but I love that kid. She plays so hard, really efficient.”
Cook has been really successful at getting to the foul line, something that Illinois coach Shauna Green calls a “game changer.” In its last two games, both victories, Cook has made 8-of-9 free throws. Against Northwestern she made 9-11.
Jensen said Illinois’ offense puts stress on the defense in different ways than Indiana with dribble handoffs, weave action and reverse screens.
“It’s a lot of stress on your communication as defenders and decisions on if you’re switching or you’re not switching or you’re emergency switching,” Jensen said.
And that was a clear issue for Iowa at Indiana. While Illinois isn’t nearly as prolific from 3-point range as Indiana, the Illini are built to do some things that Iowa has traditionally had trouble defending.
“For the most part these past two weeks have been our best practices of the year with our entire team locked in,” Green said. “When you do that the results will come.
“I think a lot of basketball is matchups and how you match up with people. I think that gives our team confidence to win.”
Illinois (13-12, 7-8) did not have a mid-week game, so it should be rested. Iowa (23-4, 12-3) endured the trauma of a poor performance in front of 17,000 loud, hostile fans but has plenty of incentive to right the ship. This is the second-to-last home game for Iowa. The Hawkeyes close out the regular season on March 3 against Ohio State at CHA.
Sunday’s game will be shown on FS1 and heard on the Hawkeye Radio Network.