Rutgers Women’s Basketball Hosts #12 Iowa On Saturday

After stacking up wins over Thanksgiving week to improve to 7-2, Rutgers women’s basketball faces its toughest challenge of the season when it takes on #12 Iowa on Saturday. The Hawkeyes took down Fairfield yesterday to improve to 8-0 on the season, with power conference wins at home vs. #14 Baylor and on the road at Miami.

Despite not having the star power of Caitlin Clark, Lucy Olsen, or Kate Martin, all of whom are now in the WNBA, Iowa still has some familiar faces that can cause matchup problems for many teams in the country.

Senior forward Hannah Stuelke is a capable scorer and rebounder down low, as she had 13 points and eight rebounds against the Stags, while senior Hawkeyes guard Kylie Feuerbach is good for an offensive explosion now and then, with 17 points against Fairfield yesterday. Both Stuelke and Feuerbach have been important contributors to the Hawkeyes’ success going back several seasons.

Center Ava Heiden is an absolute beast in the paint at six-foot-four, scoring 18 points and posting 16 rebounds yesterday, while Taylor McCabe is another athletic guard who can shoot the long ball well, with five three-pointers against Western Illinois. Guard Taylor Stremlow provides versatility, with nine points, seven rebounds, and seven assists against the Stags. She often provides the best mix of rebounding, passing, and scoring.

Rutgers is coming off a week where it went 3-0, but looked vastly different in each game. After getting out to a big early lead, the Scarlet Knights fell behind winless Siena and needed a strong fourth quarter to secure the hard-fought victory. Against Northeastern, RU looked dominant, attacking the rim and getting to the free-throw line, as they cruised from start to finish.

And against Saint Peter’s, Rutgers bookended the game with solid quarters but struggled for large stretches in the middle, with their shooting percentages dipping remarkably. Rutgers has struggled to pull away from many mid-majors so far this season, and is going to need to play with more consistency to defeat a high-powered Hawkeyes team on Saturday.

The contest will tip off at 6 PM at Jersey Mike’s Arena with a nationally televised broadcast on Fox Sports One.

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