Hawkeye talented guard is set to enter the transfer portal after spending two seasons with Iowa’s women’s basketball team, according to a source familiar with the situation.
The 6-foot-1 sophomore, known for her ability to stretch the floor with 3-point shooting while playing primarily at the power forward (“4”) spot, struggled to find momentum in her second year with the Hawkeyes. After appearing in 30 games as a freshman, she played in only 15 games during her sophomore season. Over that span, she averaged 5.5 minutes, 1.5 points, and 1.3 rebounds per game. In her final season, Mallegni shot 24% from the field (8-of-33) and 15% from beyond the arc (3-of-20).
After missing Iowa’s two NCAA Tournament games last season with an ill-timed concussion suffered in practice, Mallegni hoped injuries were behind her entering her sophomore campaign. But an ankle injury suffered in Iowa’s exhibition win over Ashland on Oct. 30 kept the turbulence coming. She didn’t make her season debut until Iowa’s third game of the year against Drake. Mallegni had two points in five minutes against the Bulldogs on Nov. 13 and totaled 11 minutes in Iowa’s next three games versus UNI, Baylor and Miami. She then had to have her tonsils removed the week of Nov. 24 once the Hawkeyes returned from the WBCA Showcase. Mallegni didn’t play again until Dec. 13 against Lindenwood, scoring five points in three minutes.
By that point, freshman Journey Houston had largely passed Mallegni in the main rotation. From there. Mallegni played double-digit minutes in just three games — all blowouts — against Penn State (Dec. 28), Purdue (Feb. 19) and Wisconsin (March 1).
Iowa’s 81-52 win over the Badgers did give Mallegni a chance to shine back in her home state. With numerous friends and family looking on at Kohl Center, which sits just nine miles from her former stomping grounds at McFarland High School, Mallegni put up 10 points, two rebounds, four assists and two steals in a season-high 15 minutes.
For all the new-age reasons why players enter the transfer portal, this one simply feels like an old-school search for more playing time. Mallegni will have two years of eligibility left wherever she lands.
