Iowa Receives Optimistic Chit Chat Wright Injury Update

The Iowa Hawkeyes have been operating without their star floor general for nearly three weeks now. Sophomore point guard Chit Chat Wright suffered a significant upper-body injury during the second half of Iowa's 57-52 victory over No. 7 Baylor on November 20 at the WBCA Showcase in Orlando, Florida.

The incident occurred early in the third quarter when Baylor's Sellia Scott stepped on the back of Wright's shoe as she came down awkwardly after attempting a floater on offense. The fall was severe enough that Wright was carried off the court by training staff, and she did not return to play.

The injury affected multiple areas of her body. The Hawkeyes' head coach, Jan Jensen, revealed that Wright sustained blows to her neck, head, shoulders, and back.

The Hawkeyes received a positive update on the point guard ahead of their crucial matchup against the Iowa State Cyclones on December 11.

“Jan Jensen says that Chit-Chat Wright will be ready to go against Iowa State tomorrow. Emely Rodriguez and Teagan Mallegni still working back.” Kyle Huesmann wrote.

Jan Jensen says that Chit-Chat Wright will be ready to go against Iowa State tomorrow.

Emely Rodriguez and Teagan Mallegni still working back.
— Kyle Huesmann (@HuesmannKyle) December 9, 2025

Before the injury, the Georgia Tech transfer was flourishing in her first season with the Hawkeyes. In five games before the Baylor injury, Wright averaged 12.6 points, 4.8 assists, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting over 50 percent from the field, nearly 60 percent from three-point range, and an impressive 90 percent from the free-throw line.

Her best performance came against Northern Iowa on November 16, when she recorded 19 points and went a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range on 7-for-8 overall shooting.

The injury forced Wright to miss Iowa's next three games: the matchup against Miami on November 22, the game against Western Illinois on November 26, and the game against Fairfield on December 1. She did briefly return for the Rutgers game on December 6, appearing for eight minutes but recording no points on 0-for-3 shooting before exiting.

Iowa Hawkeyes Continue to Struggle With Injuries

While Wright will be back in action against the Cyclones, the Hawkeyes will continue to manage injuries elsewhere on the roster. Sophomore wings Emely Rodriguez and Teagan Mallegni remain sidelined and unavailable for the Iowa State game.

Rodriguez sustained a back injury during Iowa's game against Miami on November 22 at the WBCA Showcase and has been limited since. She has appeared in just two games this season due to a back issue.

Mallegni's timeline is slightly different. The sophomore guard underwent a tonsillectomy on November 24, and was listed as "a little further off" in her recovery compared to Wright and Rodriguez. Despite being technically day-to-day, Jensen indicated that Mallegni would require additional time before being available for full-contact participation.

Mallegni had initially missed Iowa's season opener due to an ankle injury sustained during an exhibition game, but she made her return against Evansville on November 9.

Iowa remains undefeated and ranked No.11 in latest AP Ranking as it heads into the Iowa State game. The Hawkeyes improved to 8-0 in non-conference play before opening Big Ten competition with a dominant 79-36 victory over Rutgers on December 6.

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