Although used just sporadically during the regular season while plowing through typical growing pains, Iowa’s long-term plan for Heiden hadn’t wavered one bit. Adding on-court substance to the belief behind the scenes has Heiden in position for more first-year action in the NCAA Tournament.

“Ava’s been coming, right?” Jensen said after Heiden delivered 10 points over 15 minutes in Friday’s quarterfinal loss to Ohio State. “In my opinion — in my coaching career, whatever chair I sit on — the timing of when you kind of unleash (a freshman) can make all the difference.

“If you’re a freshman who has to play, it’s different … But when you’re jockeying for position and trying to get someone ready to go when it’s money time, to me that’s the hardest part. If you do it right, that will usually come up big for you. I think Ava’s done a lot, and she’s showed she’s ready.”

So what does that look like next time Iowa takes the floor? It will largely depend on who the Hawkeyes draw and what their post presence offers. The leash has already been short for Addi O’Grady, evident by the combined 13 minutes she played against Ohio State and Michigan State. And Jensen won’t be afraid to lean on a similar approach based on what she’s seeing.

This next practice stretch provides pivotal time for the Hawkeyes’ evolving post plan. Ahead of the somewhat awkward gap week between the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament, a “chance to work on ourselves” is commonly uttered. Expanding Heiden’s opportunities sits at the top of that list.

Sydney Affolter frustrated after Iowa’s 60-59 loss to Ohio State

The senior hit two late 3-pointers to give Iowa a one-point lead in the final minute. She speaks about a no-call in the final few seconds.

Iowa received another front-and-center lesson about what can happen if results are left to chance

Jensen obviously wanted to say more, still frustrated postgame about how the officiating breaks went in the final exchange of Friday’s 60-59 quarterfinal loss.

“I thought that was kind of an unfortunate way to have to shoot free throws with six seconds left,” Jensen said. “Been there, done that a few weeks ago.”

Jensen was, of course, referring to Iowa’s 67-65 loss to UCLA back on Feb. 23, when the Bruins sank two free throws in the final four seconds to escape Carver-Hawkeye Arena with a dramatic win. Friday’s scene was eerily similar as Cotie McMahon’s two charity-stripe swishes with 6.8 seconds to go supplied Ohio State’s decisive points. How Iowa digests these late-game instances is crucial.

Could the officials have whistled UCLA for a moving screen before Lucy Olsen’s ill-timed foul that generated the unfortunate home ending? Absolutely. Did Iowa catch the raw end of Friday’s late whistles — the one that blew to send McMahon to the line and the one that didn’t on Sydney Affolter’s ensuing drive to the basket down one? Likely so. Any additional wallowing, though, becomes unproductive.

For all the flaws women’s basketball officiating currently has, they aren’t changing overnight and certainly not before Iowa takes the floor again. The whistles can be horrendous at worst and inconsistent at best, making it imperative not to leave results to chance like that. This coach-speak cliche is more significant than many.

It can be difficult to accept that every tight affair has potential for heavy officiating influence. Perhaps the UCLA and Ohio State losses mean Iowa is due for better breaks in the NCAA Tournament. But the bottom line remains the same. The only foolproof way to avoid this flavor of frustration is to remove outcomes from the referees’ hands entirely.

It’s a roll of the dice otherwise, particularly in the women’s game.

More: Leistikow: Iowa’s Sydney Affolter deserved a better finish at Big Ten Tournament

Iowa again saw how fragile games become when offensive flow fluctuates

The Wisconsin and Michigan State wins showed what Iowa is when points aren’t so painful. A long list of contributors can evenly distribute the offensive load. The Ohio State loss again revealed what happens when that consistency evaporates.

“I want to see our offense get a little bit more consistent, and we’ll be working on that,” Jensen said. “I think I need to just be a little bit more physical. I think now we can kind of work on ourselves again. You can’t work on yourselves too much when you’re preparing for the next opponent. 

“So offensively consistent, and I’ve just got to get us a little bit more physical to finish layups.” 

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Neither of these items are new worries, having materialized repeatedly throughout Iowa’s seesawing season. Sometimes, the Hawkeyes can keep things on course even when shots aren’t splashing home. But that’s far from guaranteed.

For a team that can struggle stringing quality offensive possessions together, letting points slip away at the rim like the Hawkeyes did Friday will be a season-ending recipe two weeks from now.

It’s not that Iowa hasn’t shown any offensive potency. Far from it — with Olsen, Hannah Stuelke, Affolter and whatever combination of role players all capable of dictating the day. It’s just that Iowa usually doesn’t have the wiggle room for recovery otherwise.

Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.