Iowa women's basketball beats Northern Illinois in season opener

The Hawkeyes overcame an early injury scare and then turned a modest double-digit halftime lead into a stress-free second half. It all added up to a 91-73 Iowa victory over Northern Illinois in Jan Jensen's official debut as head coach.

More: Sydney Affolter returns early after injury

For all the pre-game storylines played out leading up to this thrilling evening, none of them had an arena holding its breath in fear. This became a reality when standout Hannah Stülke hobbled into the locker room after landing awkwardly on someone's foot in the first half. She spent about 15 minutes in the training room before reappearing in the final stretch of the first half.

Stuelke returned in the second half and played most of the time, finishing with 11 points and six rebounds. She was one of six Hawkeyes to score in double figures, joining Lucy Olsen (19), Teagan Mallegni (14), Kylie Feuerbach (14), Addison O'Grady (12) and Taylor McCabe (11). Feuerbach provided plenty of value elsewhere with nine rebounds, five assists, six steals and 22 +/-.

A 20-9 run in the third quarter turned a 47-35 lead into a comfortable 22-point cushion. From then on, the Hawkeyes handled things without any major problems.

Kylie Feuerbach and Lucy Olsen chat after the Iowa women's basketball team's opening win against Northern Illinois

Kylie Feuerbach and Lucy Olsen chat after the Iowa women's basketball team's opening win against Northern Illinois

Sydney Affolter missed the opener while recovering from offseason knee surgery. Aaliyah Guyton and Kennise Johnson have been inactive and are also recovering from knee injuries.

A lot to do for Iowa, but an evening that went without too many problems. The Hawkeyes return to action on Sunday against Virginia Tech in Charlotte.

Dargan Southard is a sports trends reporter who covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.