IOWA CITY - Iowa’s first test in the annual Big Four stretch comes Thursday night, and the Hawkeyes will be trying to shake off more than just a loss.
The 10th-ranked Hawkeyes return to Carver-Hawkeye Arena to face Northern Iowa at 7:30 p.m., still sorting through the fallout from Sunday’s 91-79 defeat at Connecticut. That game turned early when center Ava Heiden picked up two quick fouls, forcing Iowa to play without its inside anchor while UConn built a lead that ballooned to 27 points before the Hawkeyes made their late push.
Heiden also took a shot to the head while driving for a basket and ended up with five stitches at the end of her right eyebrow. Iowa coach Jan Jensen was direct about the lesson.
“She’s kind of like a kid in a candy store,” Jensen said Wednesday. “You have to understand the discipline in that. Those decisions put our team at risk.”
Heiden said she spent time in the film room with assistant Randi Henderson before speaking with reporters Wednesday. Her own read on the fouls was simple.
“It’s a reach thing,” Heiden said about the majority of her fouls. “It’s just habits I need to (make). It takes some discipline.
“Do you wall up or not? When I’m in the in-between, it makes it easier to get more fouls.”
The matchup with UNI is the first of three in-state games for Iowa, which will go to Drake on Dec. 1 and host Iowa State on Dec. 9.
It’s also a new experience for Amari Whiting, who is making her first trip through the Big Four games. She had already lived through rivalry pressure at BYU and Oklahoma State, where she played in the Holy War and Bedlam.
“Rivalry games are so much fun,” said Whiting, a fourth-year player who reached 1,000 points late in Sunday’s game. “You want to be undefeated in your whole state.”
Thursday’s game also brings a return to Carver for Callie Levin, the Solon native who spent two seasons as a reserve at Iowa before moving on in search of more playing time. She landed at UNI and has become the Panthers’ No. 2 scorer at 9.5 points per game.
“I think the world of Callie, and that’s not just journalism-speak,” Jensen said. “She’s a great young woman. Obviously (as a coach), you can’t do what’s best for everybody.”
Heiden, who entered the Iowa program the same year as Levin, said seeing her again will be a nice moment.
“It will be cool to see her again. She’s doing well, and I’m happy for her.”
Iowa may also have Chit-Chat Wright back at full speed after she took a mild hit to the shoulder against UConn. Wright led the Hawkeyes with 23 points in that game, returned after the collision, practiced Monday and, according to Jensen, “suspects she’ll be full-go” against UNI.
The Hawkeyes also got some recruiting news Wednesday, when they received national letters of intent from 2027 prospects Jada Seubert and Khalia Hartwell.
Seubert, a 5-foot-10 guard from Stevens Point, Wis., is an ESPN top-100 prospect. As a junior, she averaged 24.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 4.3 steals per game while leading Stevens Point to a 23-5 record, a conference title and a sectional-final appearance. She also helped the school win a state championship in the 4x400-meter relay last spring.
“She’s exactly the kind of guard I love,” Jensen said. “She has a beautiful pull-up shot and doesn’t shy away from a fight.”
Hartwell, the reigning Gatorade state player of the year for South Carolina, is a 6-foot-5 center from Anderson. She averaged 12.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game for Anderson Westside High School last season, helping the team go 27-2 and reach the state finals.
“In my mind, Khalia has incredible potential,” Jensen said. “She’s every bit of 6-5 and really athletic.”
Iowa did not fall in this week’s Associated Press poll despite the loss at Connecticut. The Hawkeyes have dominated the series with UNI, holding a 28-3 all-time edge and winning 18 of the last 19 meetings. Iowa won last year’s matchup in Cedar Falls, 74-41.
UNI brings plenty of Iowa flavor of its own, with seven Iowans on the roster. Former Benton Community standout Jenna Twedt leads the Panthers at 15.5 points per game, while Levin adds 9.5. Coach Tanya Warren is in her 20th season at UNI and carries a 358-259 career record.
For the broadcast, former Iowa coach and former UNI player Lisa Bluder will serve as the color analyst, with Sloane Martin handling play-by-play.
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