A Speedy Return to the Court

Dec. 17, 2015

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By DARREN MILLER
hawkeyesports.com

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Competitors and successful teams don’t enjoy recess after a loss.

So, the No. 24 University of Iowa women’s basketball didn’t take one, foregoing a scheduled Saturday off to return to the court and sharpen fundamentals following a 69-66 loss at Iowa State on Dec. 11.

“Our players wanted to be back in the gym,” UI head coach Lisa Bluder said Thursday at a news conference inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. “I was going to give them the weekend off, but I changed my mind after the Iowa State game.

“We came in and had an impromptu, unscheduled practice on (Dec. 12). I don’t do that very often, but I needed to get back on the court and I think the team needed to get back on the court. It was probably one of the better practices we have had in a long time. It was effective and they got the message loud and clear.”

The Hawkeyes (8-2 overall) will be back in a gym — and in front of fans — Saturday against Bradley (4-4) with a 5 p.m. (CT) tip from Mediacom Court.

Iowa will be without sophomore forward Carly Mohns, who had knee surgery Thursday and could miss between one and four months. Mohns averaged 13.8 minutes, 3.3 points, and 3.2 rebounds in nine games. The loss of Mohns could mean more playing time for senior Claire Till (2.6 minutes in nine games) and Hannah Stewart (2.2 minutes in five games).

The Hawkeyes have won 22 consecutive games in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, but Bluder is more interested in focusing on a securing a winning mindset before heading into the Big Ten Conference season.

“We want to win every home game, but we don’t talk about that streak,” Bluder said. “If you start talking about it, bad things can happen. It puts added pressure on the players that doesn’t need to be there. We don’t play it up.”

Team captains Kali Peschel and Ally Disterhoft said regaining that winning mindset started less than 24 hours after the setback to Iowa State.

“The Iowa State game was a stinger,” Peschel said. “Everyone wanted a break, but at the same time they wanted back on the court to put that in the past. It helped us refocus on what went wrong and what we need to work on the next two games. It was tough, but it was something our team needed.”

“There has been an increase in energy and competitiveness,” Disterhoft said. “We don’t think that (Iowa State) loss should have happened and we were frustrated. These past couple days in practice we have been working our butts off to prepare the best we can for our opponents because we’re playing good Bradley and Drake teams.”

The Hawkeyes are 5-1 all-time against Bradley; the intrastate battle against Drake (7-2) will determine the “state champion” for women’s basketball in the state of Iowa. The Bulldogs, coached by former Hawkeye Jennie (Lillis) Baranczyk, defeated Iowa State, 74-70, on Nov. 15.

“One of our goals is to be state champs, so if we beat Drake I guess it’s a three-way kind of a blah one,” Bluder said. “But it is better than losing it. We’re going to have a target on our back.”

Iowa won last season, 100-98, in Des Moines.

The Hawkeyes wrap up final exams this week before entering the time of the season Bluder refers to as a “player’s paradise.”

“You get to be here, play basketball, and hang out with friends. How much better can it get than that?” Bluder said. “To me, that is an absolute great time to work on your individual game — a great time to improve your game and have a lot of fun, too.”

The University of Iowa begins classes for the spring semester on Jan. 19. The Hawkeyes play eight games before then.