There aren’t many rivalries in sports as one-sided as the women’s basketball matchup between Iowa and Wisconsin.
With the Hawkeyes‘ 81-52 win over the Badgers on Sunday to wrap up the regular season, they made it 32 victories in a row over their northwest neighbors. Just like many of the previous matchups in this series, Iowa got to rest its starters in the fourth quarter after another job well done. It wasn’t all sunshine and roses in this game, however, as the Hawkeyes only led by four at the half.
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Wisconsin put forth a good effort in the first half, keeping this one a contest for longer than they have in the past. But once Iowa re-emerged from the locker room, it was all black and gold. Here are the biggest takeaways from another Iowa women’s basketball win over Wisconsin.
Chit-Chat Wright bounces back
Heading into Sunday’s game, Chit-Chat Wright had been struggling a bit on the offensive side of the ball. Over her last three games, she had a combined 14 points on 3-20 shooting from the field, including just 1-11 from behind the arc. With just one game left before postseason play began, Wright really needed a get-right game. And she delivered just that against Wisconsin.
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Wright finished Sunday’s game with 14 points on 5-9 shooting from the field and 4-7 from three-point range. She knocked down a triple of threes in the third quarter to help give Iowa the cushion it needed to pull away. An Iowa team with Wright knocking down shots is incredibly dangerous. This was a much-needed bounce-back response from Wright.
Taylor Stremlow’s elite playmaking
For the third time in her last four games, sophomore guard Taylor Stremlow dished out at least eight assists. She had nine assists in Sunday’s win over Wisconsin, while also adding 12 points and five rebounds to round out a strong effort. Over the past few weeks, Stremlow has seen her role in the offense increase by the game, and she’s met the challenge with flying colors.
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Filling in for the injured Taylor McCabe was never going to be easy, but Stremlow has risen to the occasion and played super well for the Hawkeyes. Out of everyone on the roster, she feels like the biggest X-factor in postseason play. With opposing defenses keying in on the bigs, the opportunities will be there for Stremlow to make them pay. And if her recent play is any indication, she will do just that.
Third quarter changed the game
The Hawkeyes held a slim four-point lead at halftime, letting an underwhelming Wisconsin team hang out. As the men’s team showed on Saturday, the longer you let a team hang around, the more confident they get about pulling the upset. The women put a stop to any talks about a Wisconsin upset win in the third quarter. They played like a team possessed, dominating the quarter 26-9 to all but put the game away.
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This team is capable of a quarter like that against anyone because of the talent on the roster and the ability to score efficiently. Iowa went 6-7 from three in the third, and the damage could’ve been worse had they finished off a few more shots around the rim. It was nice to see Iowa put the foot down and take over the game after a sluggish first half.
Teagan Mallegni’s homecoming
Teagan Mallegni grew up 20 minutes southeast of Madison, so it was only fitting that she had one of her best games of the season against the Badgers. The sophomore guard had a season-high ten points on Sunday, while also adding four assists and two steals. She went 4-8 from the field and looked extremely confident coming off the bench for the Hawkeyes.
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It’s been a weird second season in Iowa City for Mallegni. After playing in 30 games as a freshman, this was only her 13th game of the season as a sophomore. Despite the lack of playing time, she showed Jan Jensen and everybody else that she’s capable of being a solid contributor on this team. March is where unexpected heroes emerge and make a name for themselves. Mallegni could be that for this team.
Hawks are officially the two seed
With Sunday’s win, Iowa locked up the two-seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament. That means they’ll play the winner of the 7/10 matchup, which will most likely be one of Michigan State or Illinois. The Hawkeyes beat both of those teams in the regular season and will have some nice time to rest before taking the court on Friday in Chicago.
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More importantly, if they’re able to advance in the tournament, they wouldn’t have to match up with UCLA until the championship game. While that’s still a long way out, it does raise the odds of Iowa making a run in the conference tournament. The Hawkeyes have won three Big Ten Tournaments this decade, and definitely have the squad to win a fourth next weekend.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Takeaways as Iowa women’s basketball handles business vs. Wisconsin
