Takeaways from the Hawkeyes' season-opening win

IOWA CITY — The mix of excitement and mild frustration in Jan Jensen's postgame assessment felt appropriate given what had just happened.

On the one hand, Iowa women's basketball delivered a strong start to the season on Wednesday that showcased the potential of this new squad. However, the Hawkeyes' 91-73 home win over Northern Illinois lacked the consistency that Jensen knows is needed to navigate the season ahead.

“Overall, we had some moments, but I thought we lacked consistency,” Jensen said after her first official game leading the Hawkeyes. “And that’s what would probably give me a bad rating: consistency. When we were working on the actions within our offense, we had too many one-pass shots a few runs.

“Defensively we were pretty good when we really stepped up and were present there. But it was due to a lack of consistency, so I would give us a lower grade in that regard. That's partly because of these games.” You're still trying to figure out who your people are.

Several sections clearly underline Jensen's assessment. Early in the second quarter, after Northern Illinois took its final lead of the game at 16-15, the Hawkeyes went 14-0 in less than four minutes, featuring four different scorers. Another 11-2 surge late in the third quarter turned a 16-point lead into a robust 72-47 lead.

Combine those runs with a sluggish first quarter that included a nearly four-minute scoring loss — then a wobbly fourth that was all about getting to the finish line — and Iowa should have a lot to improve on before Sunday's contest against Virginia Tech increases in Charlotte, North Carolina

Here are a few more takeaways from Wednesday's win.

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

Kylie Feuerbach wins the first Gold Star of the season after a varied start to the season.

As much as this Iowa season begins with a focus on everything new, the key is the successful development of the roles of several key returnees.

Start there with Kylie Feuerbach, who put up versatile stats in just her third start at Iowa and first since Feuerbach's second season. With 14 points, a game-high nine rebounds, five assists and six steals, the senior guard did a little bit of everything. Feuerbach was also responsible for four of the Hawkeyes' nine three-pointers and wasted no time scoring Iowa's first points of the year from long range.

“It’s nice to see the hard work paying off,” said Feuerbach. “No matter the situation, I’m just going to work as hard as I can. And whether that's a positive or negative outcome, as long as I work hard, that's all that really matters. When there are free nights for me, I know there will be another radiant girl.

Reports of a more determined Feuerbach emerged from the offseason dialogue, laying the foundation for what could be her most productive third-year collegiate season at Iowa. Stat lines like Wednesday's won't happen every time, but — like the overall big message — there's plenty of early potential to work with as Feuerbach settles into her more demanding role.

Jan Jensen must be getting tired of his injury problems.

Jensen spoke at Big Ten Media Days about how injuries are inevitable over a long season, even if no one is always ready when they hit.

Still a big scare on the first evening? Really?

With Sydney Affolter already out as she completes her rehab from minor offseason knee surgery — she sits on the bench alongside also-injured Aaliyah Guyton and Kennise Johnson — the Hawkeyes suffered another possible injury in the first half.

All around Carver-Hawkeye Arena, nervous eyes darted to the tunnel and back again after Hannah Stuelke hit the ground hard and limped into the training room. She wasn't on the bench for about 15 minutes, returned to the bench just before halftime and then walked gingerly to the locker room at the halftime signal.

Stülke's status remained in serious doubt at this point. Her bruised ankle was reminiscent of the one she suffered at last year's Gulf Coast Showcase after landing on someone else's foot. But Stuelke started the third quarter and played most of the second half, scoring 11 points and six rebounds in 19 minutes.

“I saw her on the ground,” Jensen said. “My heart sank for a second. And then (assistant coach) Raina (Harmon) told me she was fine. I think they may have just adjusted her ankle, but I think she’s good.”

Considering Iowa just went through almost the entire offseason and Stuelke was sidelined after her own offseason knee cleanup, the Hawkeyes don't want to miss their star forward for an extended period of time. Iowa appears to have dodged another healthcare bombshell on opening night.

Iowa's true freshmen will either sink into the deep end or swim in it.

Barely five minutes into Wednesday's contest, Iowa's five players on the floor were 60% freshmen. Ava Heiden (16 minutes), Teagan Mallegni (19 minutes) and Taylor Stremlow (22 minutes) all got nice extended performances in their college debuts.

It is clear that all three will learn to swim in deep water. Mallegni continued her strong performance with 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting, while Stremlow's tenacity and toughness quickly became her trademarks. Two points, three rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals highlighted her immediate value.

Heiden, on the other hand, seemed to be the true rookie who had the clearest path to playing time. However, Jensen emphasized that deeper positions can sometimes take longer to learn than other positions. Heiden had four points and four rebounds and split time at the “5” position with Addison O'Grady, who scored the fifth double-digit point game of her career in 14 minutes (12 points).

“Teagan and Taylor do a great job of living their moments. You feel it and just go with it. Ava processes a lot,” Jensen said. “With newcomers and adults, the game sometimes moves very quickly.

“What they were able to do in high school and what was asked of them, that’s nothing internal. They don't know if they should commit a foul. Do they foul if they try too hard? You bury someone and you're out.” It just takes a little while for Ava to rise further.

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.

Kylie Feuerbach wins the first Gold Star of the season after a varied start to the season.

Jan Jensen must be getting tired of his injury problems.

Iowa's true freshmen will either sink into the deep end or swim in it.

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