Iowa improved to 3-0 with a dominant 100-58 victory over in-state foe Drake (1-2). In the process, the Hawkeyes secured their largest win in the series since 1992.
Iowa shot 53.9% from the field, knocked down 10 3-pointers and forced 23 Drake turnovers en route to the blowout triumph. The Hawkeyes out-assisted Drake, 30-15, won in fast break points, 20-9, and dominated points in the paint, 62-24.
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Before Iowa gears up for another in-state showdown at Northern Iowa (0-2) on Sunday, let’s take a look back at some of the night’s key takeaways.
An early 25-0 run set the tone
The final score wouldn’t indicate it, but Drake actually had an early 9-8 lead. Then, Iowa erupted for a 25-0 spurt to build a 33-9 lead with just a minute gone by in the second quarter. Drake responded with its own 10-0 spurt, but Iowa closed the first half on a 12-6 scoring run to build a 20-point halftime lead and never looked back from there.
Chit-Chat Wright is very comfortable in Iowa City
It’s easy to see what Iowa liked about Chit-Chat Wright coming over from Georgia Tech. The 5-foot-4 sophomore guard looks right at home in Iowa City and extremely comfortable to start this 2025-26 campaign.
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Wright jumpstarted both halves for Iowa from beyond the 3-point line and finished with a team-high-tying 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-9 from 3-point distance. The Atlanta, Ga., native added four steals and three assists.
Layla Hays registers her first career double-double
Freshman center Layla Hays notched her first career double-double, scoring 14 points and pulling down 10 boards. The Wasilla, Alaska, native finished with a 5-of-10 shooting performance and also had a pair of assists. Hays had five of Iowa’s 16 offensive rebounds.
Ava Heiden has to watch the foul trouble
Sophomore center Ava Heiden had another highly efficient night… when she could stay on the floor. The 6-foot-4 center also matched the team-lead with 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting with six rebounds and two blocks, but Heiden played just 12 minutes because of foul trouble.
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Heiden had four fouls on the night and will need to clean this up moving forward.
Emely Rodriguez, Taylor Stremlow provide a bench spark
UCF transfer wing Emely Rodriguez knocked down 5-of-8 field goal attempts and had a couple buckets where she showed off some nifty footwork. The sophomore added 11 points off the Iowa bench.
Fellow sophomore Taylor Stremlow had a nice night as well, chipping in with a pair of 3-pointers and 10 points in just eight minutes.
Lisa Bluder knocked it out of the park
How fun was that? Iowa and the Big Ten’s all-time winningest coach, Lisa Bluder, made her broadcasting debut and absolutely crushed it.
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Bluder sounded like a seasoned vet wearing the headset as she diagnosed the action and shared her coaching expertise on the Big Ten Network broadcast. Iowa fans loved it. Big Ten fans will love hearing from coach Bluder, too, as this 2025-26 season rolls along.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Takeaways as Iowa women’s basketball rolls vs. Drake
