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An impressive milestone for new Hawkeye Dani Carnegie is just the beginning

Carnegie is already making an impact during her short tenure in Iowa City
ByJordan Underwood
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Iowa guard Dani Carnegie (3) scores her 1,000 career point against Northern Iowa forward Elise Jaeger (15) as time expires in the first half of a women’s basketball game Nov. 12, 2026 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
Iowa guard Dani Carnegie (3) scores her 1,000 career point against Northern Iowa forward Elise Jaeger (15) as time expires in the first half of a women’s basketball game Nov. 12, 2026 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

New Iowa guard Dani Carnegie has taken some time to settle in, but she had a nice bounce-back performance against Northern Iowa.

Carnegie transferred to Iowa from Georgia during the winter sports transfer portal window. Despite transferring to the program, Carnegie missed significant time in the summer playing for the Team USA 3x3 squad. With six new players and a new offense, the program is still working out some of the kinks, and after a slow start, Carnegie notched an impressive milestone.

Carnegie tallied career point No. 1,000 in the win over Northern Iowa

Carnegie has been finding her footing in Iowa's first three games before facing UNI at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, shooting 40 percent from the field and scoring 12 points in back-to-back games against Eastern Illinois and UConn. Iowa was humbled against UConn, and Carnegie was clearly affected by the loss and her performance. She finished with 12 points and missed all seven three-point attempts. She played a much better game against UNI, tallying a team-leading 22 points, including an important milestone.

Iowa jumped out to an early 18-5 lead after the first quarter and held UNI to 11 total first-half points. After scoring a buzzer-beating layup to end the first half, it was announced that Carnegie scored career point No. 1,000. Carnegie admitted after the game that she didn't hear the PA announcer while she was running off the court, but noted it is a cool milestone. After an inconsistent start to the season, Carnegie had a solid performance. She leads the team in points (16.8) and assists (4.0) through Iowa's first four games and already has an impressive milestone in her short tenure with the program.

Jan Jensen praised Carnegie's performance, saying she "let the game come to her" a little bit more and was a bright spot offensively. She also tallied her second 20-plus-point performance and looked much more comfortable. She is clearly Iowa's best all-around offensive player with her ability to score at all three levels, and she will be a crucial part of Iowa's offense in the future. Freshman sensation McKenna Woliczko has also been a bright spot offensively, but she is still young. Ava Heiden is also a capable scorer, but is limited to the paint and transition baskets. Carnegie is exactly what Iowa needs, and she has to put up similar performances.

Iowa's "new" four-out, one-in offense relies on ball movement and timing, and is more free-flowing than last season's two-post scheme. The Hawkeyes have been putting up points, but everyone is still getting used to each other. As one of the lead ball-handlers, Carnegie plays a critical role in initiating the offense, and not just with her scoring. She is a capable passer, and as she gets more comfortable, the offense will get better. The offense goes as Carnegie goes, and the sky is the limit for the talented guard from New York.

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