Jan Jensen and her squad faced a pesky Southern Jaguars team on opening night in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and while they ultimately won, Jensen knows there are areas they can improve.
The Hawkeyes dominated in the paint and on the glass all night, shooting 51 percent from the field and outrebounding Southern 63-35 en route to an 86-51 victory.
Even though the Hawkeyes ultimately won the game by 35 points, it was not the prettiest of wins, and Jensen acknowledged that they have a lot of new, young players being put in new roles.
During her postgame press conference following the win, Jensen noted that the team is "a lot younger than they are older," and this youthfulness was evident in times of duress.
Southern pressed the Hawkeyes early and often, resulting in 24 turnovers, which is uncharacteristic of an Iowa Women's Basketball team under former head coach Lisa Bluder and now under Jensen.
Jensen chalked up all the mistakes to putting new faces in new places and the coaching staff mixing and matching to find the right combination of players.
The Hawkeyes also struggled shooting from beyond the arc, ending the first half 0-10.
Jensen noted that the poor performance from beyond the arc is an anomaly, and we have become so accustomed to stellar guard play that we expect a high percentage from the three-point range.
She stated that sometimes you have to "dance to the beat that's working," which meant continuing to dominate in the post.
Jensen was pleased with the performance of the post players, stating that Hannah Stuelke and Ava Heiden have effectively secured the post. When the post play is dominating, there is no need to force up long-distance shots.
Overall, Jensen was pleased with the post play and the defensive effort in Iowa's 35-point victory over an overmatched Southern Jaguars squad.