Referees must sometimes de-escalate tension and penalize players or teams for excessive offenses. Other times, they should overlook actions on the court if these are emotional reactions to a play, whether out of joy or frustration.
Such an incident occurred in Iowa’s 86-72 win over Fairfield on Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. Hawkeyes guard Taylor Stremlow was given a technical foul after reacting to blocking a Stags player’s shot. The call surprised Hawkeyes coach Jan Jensen, who questioned it from the sidelines, and Iowa legend Caitlin Clark, who criticized the officials on social media.
How Did Iowa Coach Jan Jensen and Caitlin Clark React to Taylor Stremlow’s Technical Foul?
No. 11 Iowa was locked in a tight contest with Fairfield and led by three, 30-27, at the 3:37 mark of the second quarter when Stremlow blocked Stags player Janelle Brown. The guard celebrated that move with a little bit of emotional pizzazz that led to the game officials whistling her for a break in the action.
The game announcers initially thought it was directed at Iowa coach Jan Jensen for expressing her displeasure over the call, but when they saw it on replay, it was meant for Stremlow. The call gave Fairfield two free throws, in which Kaety L’Amoreaux sank both to cut the deficit to one.
Iowa legend, Indiana Fever star, and NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer Caitlin Clark was monitoring the game and was also stunned by the call, prompting her to voice her disbelief and anger over the referees’ decision on social media. “No way they just gave Stremlow a tech for that🤣🤣🤣 refs have to let the girls show emotion,” Clark wrote.
After the game, Jensen was asked to comment on the call and its impact on the team in the preceding quarters that contributed to their win. She said that she would give the referees a pass now, as she would review the game’s replay to assess whether the verdict on Stremlow was appropriate or not.
However, Jensen felt that the guard’s energy and emotion, intended to wake her teammates up, made her react overexaggeratedly after the block. “I think it was just her exuberance, and so they probably had to call it, but I have to watch it see it again,” Jensen said. “So, I’ll give the I’ll give the stripes the benefit of the doubt.”
Stremlow’s outburst might have aimed to push her teammates to strengthen their defense, especially as Iowa managed only one block compared to Baylor’s 11 ten days earlier. Despite this, the Hawkeyes secured a 57-52 victory thanks to their offense. Jensen pointed out that the guard is their emotional engine, and she helps the team get pumped up in games. She hailed Stremlow’s ability to take risks and be accountable for every mistake made as a sign of her overreaction.
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The Iowa coach even had to remind Stremlow that she cannot trash-talk again, as it could risk another technical foul and automatic disqualification from the game. However, on the other hand, she also hailed her player for letting it all out on defense. Reflecting on her response, she added, “And I moved on, because if you take the other side, you’re like, ‘What are you doing? How could you do that?’ The tone is like you don’t want to lose what makes her that passionate, but I do think it kind of helped fire everybody up a little bit, which made it fun.”
After the technical, Iowa played with fire and intensity that derailed Fairfield in the second half en route to a 14-point win that improved its record to 8-0. Ava Heiden led the Hawkeyes with 18 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and four blocks. Kylie Feuerbach added 17, while Hannah Stuelke and Taylor McCabe contributed 13 each. Stremlow finished with nine points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.