Remember Nebraska? The Iowa women’s basketball team surely does

IOWA CITY — In this new era of supersized conferences, rematch opportunities are few.

If the Iowa women’s basketball team ever wanted a mulligan, it’s this one.

Nebraska. That one hurt, bad.

“I’d like to think we’re a little bit better now,” Coach Jan Jensen said, in reference to the Monday’s game at Lincoln.

Tipoff is 7 p.m. at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Three weeks ago, the Hawkeyes (16-7 overall, 6-6 Big Ten) were in the depths of a five-game losing streak. The deepest point was Jan. 16.

That was the night that Iowa let an 11-point fourth-quarter lead get away, missed 13 of 29 free throws and lost to the Huskers in overtime, 87-84.

That was then.

Resurgent and ascendant, Iowa has won four in a row to climb back to break-even in league play, and now gets a crack at a season split with Nebraska (16-7, 7-5), its lone “double-play” partner.

Both the Hawkeyes and the Huskers are in a nine-team clump in which anything is possible, from fifth place to 13th.

“That’s what’s so weird about this league,” Jensen said. “Everybody is so dog-gone even. I think we’ve got a little confidence now.”

Iowa’s headliners have played as such lately.

* Lucy Olsen is the reigning Big Ten player of the week (and USBWA national player of the week) after her 28-point masterpiece against USC, and is averaging 19.5 points in the four-game win streak.

* Since returning from a two-game absence (concussion), Hannah Stuelke has averaged 17.7 points per game, including a 26-pointer against Northwestern.

* Sydney Affolter has reached double figures in three straight games, and hit for 13 points and 14 rebounds Thursday at Minnesota.

Nebraska has dropped back-to-back games, including a puzzling 78-60 loss at home to Michigan on Thursday. The Huskers trailed 42-21 at halftime.

Veteran post Alexis Markowski leads the Huskers at 14.8 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest. Markowski has produced 48 double-doubles in her career.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com