Slow starts have been a common theme of late for the Hawkeyes. That was the case last time Iowa was in Carver against Maryland and it played out that way again on Sunday versus Indiana.

The Hoosiers scored the game’s first six points, led 18-13 at the end of the first quarter and built a 15-point lead at one stage of the first half. That had the Hawkeyes scrambling uphill all afternoon long.

For an Iowa team that has been offensively challenged in Big Ten play, that’s not a great recipe. The Hawkeyes tried to make a late run at it, but Iowa dug itself too deep of a deficit on too many occasions.

After coach Jan Jensen talked about Iowa needing to develop its upperclassmen leadership following its loss at Illinois, Iowa’s two biggest upperclassmen stars had a rough outing against Indiana.

Senior guard Lucy Olsen finished with just eight points on 3-of-12 shooting, including 0-for-3 from 3-point distance. Meanwhile, junior forward Hannah Stuelke was 1-of-6 shooting and had just five points and three boards.

Both Olsen and Stuelke played just 23 minutes.

Iowa simply couldn’t slow down Indiana junior guard Yarden Garzon. The 6-foot-3 guard was red hot on Sunday, connecting on 7-of-8 shots, including a perfect 5-of-5 from 3-point range. Garzon finished with a game-high 21 points.

It wasn’t just Garzon for Indiana. While Chloe Moore-McNeil was great for the Hoosiers with 18 points as well, senior guard Sydney Parrish’s trio of third quarter 3-pointers were killers.

After Iowa had closed to within two points to begin the third quarter, Parrish connected on her first 3-pointer. Then, Parrish added two more treys that stretched the Hoosiers’ lead to 10 points at both junctures, including to end the quarter.

Iowa left one too many open shooters for Indiana and was burnt for it, but, ultimately, the Hawkeyes just didn’t shoot it well enough in this game.

The Hawkeyes outrebounded Indiana, 38-31, they won the bench points battle, 39-10, and scored 24 points off Indiana turnovers. But, Iowa shot 34% from the field and 32% from 3-point range. Iowa needs shots to fall and its leaders to make that happen.

On Sunday, that wasn’t the case for Iowa.

Right now, Iowa isn’t a great 3-point shooting team. That’s not McCabe’s fault, though. McCabe knocked down 4-of-5 from beyond the 3-point line to give Iowa some offense from range.

Coach Jensen and Iowa have already shifted a bit in this direction, but it’s time to shake up the starting five. Senior guards Sydney Affolter and Kylie Feuerbach combined to shoot just 1-of-4 and 0-for-2 beyond the arc.

Feuerbach played just nine minutes, but Affolter still saw 22 minutes of floor time. At this point, Iowa owes itself the opportunity to see if something else sticks.

Freshman guard Taylor Stremlow provided some nice minutes for Iowa on Sunday. The 5-foot-10 guard scored seven points off Iowa’s bench, pulled down eight rebounds and assisted four times.

Freshmen Ava Heiden and Aaliyah Guyton are continuing to learn and grow as well. That trio needs more minutes for this season and beyond.

After three straight losses, Iowa might suddenly be on the outside looking in. There’s still plenty of time to correct this, but the Hawkeyes have played themselves squarely onto the NCAA Tournament bubble.

Iowa’s Thursday date versus Nebraska is suddenly a must-win. The Hawkeyes need to get right and to get right in a hurry.