In the midst of a 3-game slide, Jan Jensen is ‘considering all options’

IOWA CITY — Jan Jensen wasn’t merely waxing poetic.

“If we can see our (defensive) swag again,” Jensen said about the Iowa women’s basketball team. “If we can know our assignments, not blow our assignments.”

Iowa’s defense, which had been so stellar through the first 20 games (63 points allowed), has regressed to the tune of 86.7 ppg surrendered through the past three.

And that’s why the 15th-ranked Hawkeyes are on a three-game slide.

“I would like to see defensive urgency,” Jensen said. “I want to see more assertiveness on defense, and we’re going to need it.”

Iowa (18-5 overall, 9-3 Big Ten) seeks to regain its mojo Wednesday when it hosts No. 24 Washington (18-6, 8-5).

Tipoff is 6:30 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

“The Big Ten is such a great conference. Every team is so good,” freshman Addie Deal said. “I’m excited for the next game, like I was excited for the last game. We’re still moving on.”

Wednesday marks the Hawkeyes’ first game in six days. Their last time out was a 91-85 home loss to Minnesota, a game that the Hawkeyes trailed by as many as 20 points in the fourth quarter.

Since then?

“We’ve been focusing on things we needed to work on, and we’ve seen some growth,” Layla Hays said.

Hays displayed a set of stitches above her left eye, thanks to an inadvertent elbow from Hannah Stuelke in practice.

Perhaps Iowa can take a bit of confidence from its last meeting with Washington. Flailing after a five-game losing streak last January, The Hawkeyes rolled to an easy win in Seattle and that put some wind behind their sails for the rest of the season.

“I’m pretty forward-thinking, though,” Jensen said. “(Washington has) tremendous 3-point shooters. They’re a difficult guard because they shoot the 3-ball as well or better than the Minnesota kids.”

Despite the recent slide, Iowa remains a projected 3-seed in next month’s NCAA tournament by ESPN analyst Charlie Creme. The four seeds in each region (16 overall) host the first two rounds of the NCAA.

“It’s within reach, but we can’t make it our sole focus,” Jensen said “It can be a motivator; we’re right there on that cusp.”

“It’s amazing how (distractions) can change overnight ... ‘Oh gosh, what’s happening?’ Within a season, little swings like that are going to happen.”

Jensen said she is “considering all options” within her rotation, adding that there “could definitely be a changeup.”

If so, the most logical move might push Taylor Stremlow into the starting lineup in place of Deal.

Since Taylor McCabe’s injury, Deal has started the last three games, in which she is averaging 3.0 points per game on 3-of-15 shooting.

In the four previous games, as a reserve, Deal was scoring at a 12.0-point clip, hitting 19 of 34 shots.

“Addie has had a lot of pressure, for a lot of good reasons,” Jensen said.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com