Who plays when for the Hawkeyes? It comes down to this: ‘Who makes who better’

IOWA CITY — What, exactly, is Jan Jensen looking for in orchestrating floor combinations?

Pretty simple.

“What I like to see is, who is making who better,” Jensen said Sunday, after a four-freshman combo opened eyes in Iowa’s 84-63 women’s basketball romp over Purdue.

“I try to see what it looks like in real time, not just in practice.”

The freshman foursome of Taylor Stremlow, Aaliyah Guyton, Teagan Mallegni and Ava Heiden worked as an effective unit — along with Taylor McCabe once, Sydney Affolter once — in the first half.

The first time, the group used a 9-2 run to turn a seven-point lead into a 27-13 cushion at the end of the first quarter. The second time, it was an 18-5 surge to make it 50-32 at halftime.

“We’ve got to bring energy out there,” said Stremlow, a native of Verona, Wis. “Coach says it’s really hard to stop a team that has people that can come off the bench and score.”

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Stremlow scored nine points Sunday. So did Guyton. So did Heiden. Mallegni chipped in with eight. That group shot 15 of 23 from the floor.

“It’s nice to see those flashes,” Jensen said. “It’s why they were a highly decorated (recruiting) class.

“I was confident to try this. It wasn’t always stellar. I hope it will yield a lot of positive results later.”

So when 23rd-ranked Iowa (11-2 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) plays at Penn State (9-4, 0-2) Wednesday — tip is noon (CT) at Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pa. — one of the items of intrigue will be the Hawkeyes’ rotations.

Or, as Jensen said, who makes who better?

Ten players saw at least 12 minutes of court time against Purdue. Nobody played more than 24.

Stremlow’s status at Carver-Hawkeye Arena has been elevated to one of the fans’ favorites. When she plays, things happen.

“There is no fear with her,” Jensen said. “She’s not afraid to make a mistake. That has been apparent since she stepped on campus. She doesn’t play scared.”

Guyton, who missed the first few games of the season after suffering a torn ACL last season as a senior in high school, led the Hawkeyes in shots taken (11) Sunday.

“I just think she’s a player,” Jensen said of the Peoria, Ill., native. “I’d rather have her be aggressive than timid. If you play timid in this league, it’s not going to go well.”

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com