Hawkeyes get their first major test Thursday, against No. 7 Baylor

IOWA CITY — The venue is Orlando, Fla.

For the Iowa women’s basketball team, though, this is no mickey-mouse competition.

No. 19 Iowa (4-0) dramatically ratchets up its degree of difficulty when it faces No. 7 Baylor (4-0) in the first game of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Showcase on Thursday.

Tipoff is 8 p.m. (CT) at State Farm Field House.

“These kinds of games ... win or lose, you just don’t want the moment to be too big,” Iowa Coach Jan Jensen said Monday.

The Hawkeyes departed for Florida on Wednesday for their two-game getaway; they’ll face Miami (Fla.) on Saturday.

It’s a much-needed challenge after winning their first four games by margins of 35, 76, 42 and 33.

“We’ll be challenged to see where we stack up,” Jensen said.

“Our philosophy in scheduling, I really like it. You could stack the schedule and have a lot of wins and a lot of confidence.”

Baylor is the first of three ranked teams on Iowa’s non-conference schedule. The Hawkeyes play at Iowa State (currently No. 12) on Dec. 10, then faces reigning NCAA champion Connecticut (No. 1 right now) Dec. 20 at Brooklyn, N.Y.

Jensen is eager to see how her team responds with the inevitable adverse moments that come with games like these.

“Adversity is a crucial part of any growth,” she said. “The players are really good about being uncomfortable. It’s not easy, with all of the pressures from the outside.”

Thursday’s game can be defined as Iowa’s depth vs. Baylor’s “big three:” Baylor’s Taliah Scott is averaging 24.5 points per game, followed by Bella Fontleroy (14.0) and Darianna Littlepage-Buggs (12.5).

“Those three don’t come off the floor much,” Jensen said.

Iowa goes 10 deep effectively, and that includes all five newcomers, particularly Chit-Chat Wright and Layla Hays.

A sophomore point guard and a transfer from Georgia Tech, Wright leads the Hawkeyes at 14.5 points per game, with 22 assists to seven turnovers.

A freshman from Alaska, Hays (14.3 ppg) has been an effective complement to Ava Heiden and Hannah Stuelke in the post.

Hays admitted Monday to battling some level of homesickness.

“I miss my family. They’re very far away,” she said. “I tell myself, ‘This is where I want to be, because I worked hard to get here.’

“I’m super grateful to be able to do this, playing in front of so many people.”

Jensen said, “Layla, in time, is going to be really special. When that kid doesn’t second-guess herself, she’s pretty good.”

The lone Iowan in the crop of newcomers, Journey Houston has found a niche of being somewhat of a ball magnet. The rookie from Davenport is averaging 5.5 rebounds, despite playing just 12.6 minutes per game.

“My mindset is to stay ready,” Houston said. “It’s been a great experience, learning and adjusting my game.”

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