IOWA CITY — The Iowa women’s basketball team played a little short-handed during its Nov. 26 victory over Western Illinois.
Chit-Chat Wright (upper body) was ruled out on the pregame availability report after her WBCA Showcase injury, and she was joined by two teammates on the injury list.
The Hawkeyes (7-0) had just 11 active players at tip-off, with Teagan Mallegni and Emely Rodriguez also sidelined. Mallegni was ruled out pregame, while Rodriguez was listed as questionable but did not participate in the pregame shootaround.
Jensen provided updates on the three players after Wednesday’s 86-69 victory.
“Emely is day-to-day,” Jensen said, “and Chit-Chat is still day-to-day. I do see improvement when I see her walking around. Teagan probably will be about a week.”
Hawkeye Radio’s Rob Brooks said during the pregame show that Mallegni had her tonsils removed on Monday, and that Rodriguez is battling a back issue.
How are injuries impacting Iowa women’s basketball team?
With three Hawkeyes sidelined, other players stepped up vs. Western Illinois.
Addie Deal’s minutes set a season-high mark and led Iowa with 17 points vs. the Leathernecks. Meanwhile, Callie Levin saw double-digit minutes (13) for the first time in her career. The former Solon High School star finished with two points and two rebounds in her five first-half minutes. Journey Houston played 12 minutes, and Jada Gyamfi Kennise Johnson had four minutes apiece.
“It’s definitely hard when you have a few people go down,” said senior Taylor McCabe, who delivered 15 points on 5-for-10 from deep. “Definitely missing some people right now. We’ve gotten a lot of reps in practice, for sure. This is definitely good for our growth and depth as a team.”
The Hawkeyes have some time to rest and recover, with just one game over the next nine days before their Big Ten opener at Rutgers on Dec. 6.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa women’s basketball injury updates, Chit-Chat Wright, 2 teammates
Reporting by Dargan Southard, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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