Iowa needed some home-cooking after dropping two straight games in California to USC and UCLA.
The loss to No. 2 UCLA is understandable, as they are one of the top teams in women's college basketball, but the loss to USC was inexcusable.
After returning home, the Hawkeyes had a great chance to get back on track with a win against a solid Minnesota team, and that chance went out the window very quickly.
Minnesota went up 10 at halftime, pushing its lead to as many as 20 before Iowa clawed its way back.
It was a case of too little too late for the Hawkeyes, dropping its third straight game with a 91-85 loss to the Golden Gophers.
Iowa's effort on defense and on the glass was non-existent
For a team that prides itself on defense and rebounding, the effort against Minnesota is inexcusable.
Minnesota "out-Iowa'd" Iowa, dominating on the glass and doing a lot of damage in the paint. They finished the game outrebounding Iowa 41-28, and shot 52 percent from the field and a whopping 71 percent from beyond the three-point arc.
The Golden Gophers out-physicaled Iowa all night, and the final score was not indicative of how much they controlled the game.
Iowa had the offense to stay competitive, with four players scoring in double figures, but giving up 91 points on defense is inexcusable.
After allowing 91 points to Minnesota, the Hawkeyes are ranked No. 10 in the Big Ten in scoring defense (65.0 points per game).
Iowa is also ranked No. 198 overall in scoring defense, one of the worst rankings among Power Four programs.
If Iowa continues to struggle on defense, they are going nowhere this season.