When Sarah Strong was whistled with her first foul 90 seconds into the game on Sunday, UConn Huskies fans had to hold their collective breath.

After all, it was foul trouble in the first quarter in a loss to the No. 5 Michigan Wolverines on Friday that kept Strong on the bench for the No. 2 Huskies for more than 12 minutes in the first half.

But Strong had just that one foul against the No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes (2-1) at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn., on Sunday. And the reigning national Player of the Year made up for lost playing time in leading the Huskies (2-1) to a 91-79 win.

Strong set a career record with 39 points, connecting on 15 of 26 shots, including 5 of 10 from 3-point range in 37 minutes. With her 10 rebounds figured in, she recorded her first double-double of the season and 23rd of her UConn career.

Her previous career high was 29 points, set in her freshman season against Iowa State and tied last season against Ohio State.

Blanca Quinonez tied her career high with 21 points, 12 of them coming on 4-of-5 shooting from the 3-point line. She produced five of the team’s six steals.

KK Arnold added 14 points and Jovana Popovic scored 10 to go with her team-leading six assists.

Against Michigan, UConn struggled with Strong out of the lineup to find its offense. She won’t score 39 every game, but having her on the court makes each of her teammates better.

Last Dec. 20, No. 1 UConn beat No. 11 Iowa 90-64 on a neutral court at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Strong scored 23 points and her fellow All-American, Azzi Fudd, led the team with 27.

What accounted for Iowa putting up 15 more points on Sunday? The defense isn’t in December form yet.

 UConn averaged 15.6 steals last season and had 17 against the Hawkeyes last December. This time around, the Huskies had just six – but Iowa stole the ball eight times.

And how about turnovers? Another category UConn dominated last season, when the Huskies finished 38-1. They averaged 12.6 turnovers per game and forced 24.1. On Sunday, Iowa had 12 turnovers that led to 18 Huskies points. Iowa scored 24 points off of 17 turnovers.

Head coach Geno Auriemma’s squad has yet to find that killer instinct it typically possesses. Consider these stunning numbers.

Against Iowa, UConn scored 19 points and surrendered 28 in the fourth quarter, allowing the Hawkeyes to whittle a 27-point deficit – 66-39 – at the 4:47 mark of the third quarter,

And at Michigan, the Huskies trailed 55-53 heading into the fourth quarter, only to be outscored 22-13.

Those numbers are very uncharacteristic of a UConn team, and no doubt Auriemma and his staff will be working on fourth-quarter defense with two tough opponents upcoming next week: No. 18 Ohio State and No. 7 Louisville.