IOWA CITY — Iowa women’s basketball got all it could handle and then some from a FDU squad with a massive upset on its mind.
The No. 2 Hawkeyes survived en route to a 58-48 win in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The March 21 victory sends Iowa into the second round, where the Hawkeyes will face No. 10 seed Virginia at 1 p.m. CT on Monday, March 23 (ESPN).
Here are some likes and dislikes from a nail-biting win.
Likes
Ava Heiden wills Iowa home: With Iowa’s lead at a mere two points to start the fourth quarter and nothing falling from deep, the Hawkeyes needed their sophomore center to carry them home. Buoyed by a game-high 29 points, Ava Heiden had 12 consecutive points in the fourth to squash this upset bid.
Iowa cranks up defensive intensity to begin the third quarter: Aside from FDU’s downtown flurry to end the first quarter, the Hawkeyes’ defense was generally strong throughout. But the intensity turned up to start the third quarter as FDU went scoreless for nearly seven minutes. Iowa, though, couldn’t shake the Knights away.
Iowa’s first-quarter start: The Hawkeyes charged out of the gates and looked ready to roll with little drama, surging to an 18-3 lead while Carver-Hawkeye Arena fans pumped in the noise. Eight points from Heiden in the game’s first five minutes seemed to set an emphatic tone.
Kylie Feuerbach’s rebounding: Feuerbach set a rebounding season-high in the first half alone (6) and later set a new career-high with (11) with two key boards in the final two minutes.
Dislikes
Iowa’s general lack of experience with high-pressure NCAA Tournament moments reveals itself: Outside of Kylie Feuerbach and Hannah Stuelke, no one on the floor wearing black and gold had dealt with tension like this. A lot of that showed as the Hawkeyes struggled to shake a pesky No. 15 seed.
FDU’s persistent downtown attack kept Iowa off-balance all afternoon: After leaning on a bevy of treys early, FDU didn’t shoot a great 3-point percentage overall (10-for-32) but kept at it to stay within reach.
Iowa’s offense falls apart in second quarter to open the door: FDU ended the first half on a 21-7 run, though it was methodical in nature thanks to a second quarter full of clanks. The Hawkeyes never regained footing after their early surge and trudged into the locker room without a field goal for nearly seven minutes. Iowa’s seven-point second quarter was its second-lowest scoring quarter of the season.
Iowa’s first-quarter finish: Just when it seemed Iowa was ready to overpower an overmatched foe, FDU erupted for four straight treys in the first quarter’s final 2:38. That abrupt 12-0 run sliced Iowa’s lead from 15 to three and indicated this wouldn’t be a cakewalk.
Addie Deal struggles in her NCAA Tournament debut: Deal was a team-worst -18 in the first half after going 1-for-5 from the field, including 0-for-2 from deep. Much of that came during Iowa’s sluggish second quarter.
Iowa’s free-throw shooting problems resurfaces again: The Hawkeyes made enough down the stretch but still finished 17-for-29 at the line. Hannah Stuelke struggled in particular, going 7-for-16.
Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.
