By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – If Thursday’s 104-63 victory over Division II power Ashland is any indication; the Iowa women’s basketball team has added some valuable pieces to an intriguing puzzle.

Hawkeye fans already knew what to expect from All-Big Ten senior forward Hannah Stuelke, and the Cedar Rapids native certainly didn’t disappoint as she led Iowa with 23 points and nine rebounds.

Sophomore center Ava Heiden, in her new role as a starter, also showed why her upside is considered so high by scoring 14 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in just 19 minutes of playing time.

But Iowa also has five newcomers on the roster and all five of them contributed to Thursday’s victory in multiple ways.

Sophomore guard/forward Emely Rodriguez came off the bench to score 17 points in less than 14 minutes, while sophomore point guard Chazadi ‘Chit-Chat’ Wright finished with 12 points and four assists.

Rodriguez and Wright transferred from Central Florida and Georgia Tech, respectively. And considering how they both played on Thursday, it’s easy to see why second-year Iowa head coach Jan Jensen is so excited about having added both of them from the transfer portal.

“They were a couple pieces I thought we really needed to have,” Jensen said of Wright, who is from Atlanta, and Rodriguez, who is from the Dominican Republic. “We didn’t have a true point guard, and Chat has got a lot of fun about her, and I think we’re just scratching the surface of what we can see her do. She just is fun. I think she’s shifty and she can give us some on-ball defensive presence, and we need to have that.

“But Emely Rodriguez is a bucket getter. The patience you have to have with Emely is just learning a new system. Emely’s story is unique. She was in the (Dominican Republic) about three years ago.”

The 5-foot-4 Wright faces the challenge of replacing former All-Big Ten selection Lucy Olsen as the starting point guard.

Wright is more of a pass-first point guard compared to Olsen, who led Iowa in scoring last season. But Wright also made five of her seven field-goal attempts in Thursday’s exhibition.

Iowa also shot 56 percent from the field and had 26 assists.

Jensen will certainly have some coaching moments to take from Thursday’s exhibition. But overall she seemed pleased.

“I think for me the barometer was that a lot of things that I was hoping to see out of certain people I started to see,” Jensen said. “And we can start with Chit-Chat and Emely with that.”

And while Carver-Hawkeye Arena was far from packed for Thursday’s exhibition, it still was the most fans that Rodriguez has played before.

“It was amazing being out there and so much fun,” Rodriguez said. “But it’s just adjusting to a new system. But I thought we collectively did a real good job today.”

Freshman center Layla Hays complemented Heiden in the post by scoring 10 points and grabbing seven rebounds off the bench, while five-star recruit Addie Deal scored seven points, dished out five assists and had four rebounds.

Freshman forward Journey Houston also had some nice moments off the bench as she grabbed seven rebounds and scored four points.

“I think we all performed really well, had each other’s back and there wasn’t a drop off when people got subbed in,” Heiden said.

The games will start to count on Monday when Iowa faces Southern in the season opener at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

This marks the third straight season that Iowa has sold out all of its home games.

The Hawkeyes are coming off a season in which they finished 23-11 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Jensen’s first season as head coach.

Ashland, which is ranked sixth in Division II, kept the score close in the opening few minutes, but Iowa’s size eventually started to take over.

The Hawkeye had a 28-15 advantage on the boards in the first half, led 26-15 after the first quarter and 51-27 at halftime.

Iowa finished the game with a whopping 58-27 advantage on the boards against a much smaller opponent as Jensen pointed out afterwards when critiquing the 6-foot-4 Heiden’s performance.

“Ava she did great, believe me,” Jensen said. “But they’re not 6-4 we’re going against, either. So you can be excited, but you also know what’s coming down the pike.”

Jensen used 11 players in the first half, and all but one scored at least one point, led by Stuelke with 10 and Rodriguez with nine.

Heiden had eight points and six rebounds in the first half despite only playing eight minutes due to picking up two fouls.

The only player who saw action for Iowa in the first half that didn’t score was sophomore forward Teagan Mallegni. But she only played briefly before limping off the court with what Jensen said was a “tweaked” ankle.

“She was going to try to play, but she was a having a hard time putting pressure on it,” Jensen said. “So it was kind of freak thing.

“So I don’t know if it’ll be a one-day thing or if it’s a longer day thing. We’ll know a little bit more tomorrow.”

Wright also limped off the court in the second half, but Jensen said in her post-game press conference that Wright was cramping.

“I think it was just a really bad cramp, and then at that point we needed to get some other people minutes,” Jensen said. “But fingers crossed that they’re both just kind of a weird thing.”

As for Deal’s much-anticipated Hawkeye debut, the California native struggled at times in the first half, but then she played better in the second half, including making a 3-point basket from beyond the top of the key, much to Jensen’s delight.

“I think that she forced it a little bit offensively ” Jensen said. “She probably could have had eight assists. And I just think that’s a freshman that’s just learning how it’s going to roll. But she’s a beautiful passer and she can shoot it. I think she was just pressing a little bit.

“Most people when they come in the barometer is always offensive points and they’re just used to taking it. And I thought she over-penetrated a couple times and got a couple turnovers. But I thought at the end she really kind of relaxed and you saw that beautiful distance three. So I think you’ll see her continue the trajectory. But there’s nothing like experience.”

Iowa’s starting lineup consisted of Stuekle, Heiden, Wright, sixth-year guard Kylie Feuerbach and senior guard Taylor McCabe, while Deal was the first player to come off the bench.

“Taylor and Kylie, they’ve jut been there,” Jensen said. “They understand how it works. They understand the shifts, and I hope as our young kids figure that out and grow, that you’ll see a little bit more fluidity.

“But I was really happy that we got to see those last few minutes for Addie, just for her confidence more than anything else. I know what she can do.”