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By HANNAH OSSMAN
hawkeyesports.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Head coach Lisa Bluder is looking back to fundamentals heading into the University of Iowa women’s basketball matchup with Princeton on Wednesday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tipoff is 6:30 p.m. (CT).
The Hawkeyes (2-1) are coming off an 88-66 loss to Northern Iowa on Nov. 17. Iowa looks to improve on both ends of the court after tallying 19 defensive rebounds and 11 assists against the Panthers.
“There are so many things that we need to work on,” Bluder said Tuesday during a news conference in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. “We have a lot of work to do. That’s to be expected this early in the season with as many young players as we’re playing.”
Scouting Princeton
The Tigers from Princeton, New Jersey, play in the Ivy League. Last season, they won 22 games, including a 65-54 win over Penn in the Ivy League Championship to secure their second consecutive tournament title.
Princeton is off to a 4-0 start with wins over Rider (80-47), George Washington (75-50), Seton Hall (78-76), and Florida Gulf Coast (67-53).
“They have good depth,” Bluder said. “They play nine players strong, so they have tremendous depth. A lot of people can come off the bench and have a good night.
“That’s the hard part about this time of year. You look at statistics, but statistics aren’t as solid as they are 10 games into a year. Statistics can change quickly from game-to-game.”
Looking Back at Northern Iowa
The Hawkeyes dropped their first game of the season Sunday in Cedar Falls.
“We want to see growth, and we need to see growth. That was one game, and it was one loss,” Bluder said. “It hurt our feelings more than anything else. We are a much better team than what we showed.”
Moving Forward
On the season, three Hawkeyes have averaged double-figure scoring, including seniors Kathleen Doyle (14.7) and Makenzie Meyer (14.0), and sophomore Monika Czinano (12.7). Senior Amanda Ollinger has pulled down 6.7 rebounds per game, while Meyer and freshman McKenna Warnock average 5.3 and 5.0 rebounds per game, respectively.
“I believe we are going to get better. I know we are, because we have buy-in from our team,” Bluder said. “We have good leadership. We just have to improve on our fundamentals. That’s on us as coaches. We have to do a better job demanding good fundamentals out of our players.”
