After being limited to just 10 minutes in Iowa’s first-round victory over Holy Cross, Hawkeyes star sophomore Hannah Stuelke is expecting to have a bigger impact in the second round.
Iowa women’s basketball forward Hannah Stuelke, a key co-star for Caitlin Clark, expects to be back to 100 percent health against West Virginia in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday.
The star sophomore didn’t play in the second half of Iowa’s 91-65 win over Holy Cross in the first round, only logging 10 total minutes and two rebounds. Hawkeyes coach Lisa Bluder attributed her absence to feeling under the weather.
“She didn’t feel well, not gonna use her if we didn’t have to,” Bluder told ESPN’s Holly Rowe after the game. Stuelke clarified to reporters that she was dealing with migraines.
“I wasn’t feeling good at half,” she said. “Just migraines. … I think we had the game handled, so there was no point in me playing when we play again in two days.”
With the No. 1-seed Hawkeyes holding a large lead for much of Saturday’s contest, Stuelke’s number didn’t need to be called in their opener. If Iowa is to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, however, it’ll need to rely on its dominant forward playing at full strength.
As Caitlin Clark’s departure to the WNBA looms on the horizon, Iowa is hoping Stuelke can help fill her shoes as the Hawkeyes’ future go-to player.
The young phenom has shown flashes to suggest she’s up to the challenge, such as scoring a career-high 47 points against Penn State earlier in the campaign.
Heading into Iowa’s matchup against No. 8-seed West Virginia, Stuelke said she is feeling “great” following a relaxing day that featured lots of sleep and a pizza dinner with family.
“I’m really excited, especially since I had limited minutes yesterday,” she told reporters. “I’ll be able to get out there fully, so that’ll be really fun.”
All eyes are currently on the Hawkeyes as they look to help Clark finish her collegiate career on a high note. Last week, ESPN announced that it would be sending a reporter just to cover Iowa’s first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
Despite the heightened expectations surrounding Iowa, Stuelke insisted the added pressure is benefitting the team. “Every game could be our last, so we’re just playing free,” she said. “Because you never know when your last game’s going to be.”
Clark and the Hawkeyes certainly hope that Monday’s contest isn’t their last. Clark was lights out in Iowa’s first round win, amassing 27 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, and she’ll try to replicate that production against a tougher foe in the Mountaineers.
Iowa will look to receive more production from Stuelke, too, who was integral to its regular-season success. Over 30 games and 27 starts this season, Stuelke averaged 14.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists, additionally shooting 50% from behind the arc.
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