As expected, No.21 Iowa came out victorious over in-state rival Northern Iowa on Sunday, 74-41, to get off to a 4-0 start to the season.
However, the Hawkeyes didn’t necessarily steamroll their way to victory
as in the other three contests; instead, they had to grind it out. A slow first quarter and a lack of energy all around made it more of a battle than the score reflected.
Nevertheless, the Hawkeyes were fortunate to have their sophomore transfer point guard Chit-Chat Wright on the floor, as she was in command from start to finish. Altogether, Wright finished with 19 points, shot 7-for-8 from the field and 3-for-3 from the 3-point line.
Unlike against Evansville and Drake, where multiple players scored in double figures, it was only two, Wright and Layla Hayes, who finished with 14 points.
In addition to her scoring exploits, Wright added two assists and two rebounds to her name. However, if you tell her, she is still not fully satisfied and is aching to get back to the gym and put in the work.
“I’ve always been like a gym rat,” Wright said after the game. “I love being in the gym.”
In April, Wright decided to transfer from Georgia Tech to Iowa. During her freshman season, she started 12 games and averaged 7.2 points and 2.2 rebounds. She scored in double figures in 10 games. Plus, Wright finished second on the Yellow Jackets in assists with 86. On Sunday, Wright eclipsed her career high of 16 points, which she achieved against Pittsburgh last December.
Wright’s style of play is fast-paced and team-oriented. She makes a point of creating opportunities for her teammates whenever possible. Wright possesses a really high basketball IQ, in addition to a sharpshooting stroke and elite quickness. Wright is from Atlanta, where she played basketball and ran track at Wesleyan School. In basketball, she lead her team to regional titles in 2022 and 2024.
All of her skills, in addition to her “gym rat” identity, bodes well for head coach Jan Jensen, who sees Wright as a model for others to follow. In fact, Jensen noted similarities between Wright and Caitlin Clark due to their work ethic, sharing after the win on Sunday:
When you have a kid that’s coming from the outside and she’s just always in the gym, she’s just showing how it’s done. I always encourage our upperclassmen. Who do you bring to the gym with you? I did that way back with Caitlin Clark. They get all those shots up, but you can’t go alone. Chit-Chat is that gym rat. The next evolution is to make sure all the rest of them are going to.
