Iowa (5-0) is still perfect. As expected, the Hawkeyes were tested in a major way on Thursday night. But, it was No. 20 Iowa that made the winning plays down the stretch as the Hawkeyes toppled No. 10 Baylor, 57-52, from State Farm Fieldhouse in Orlando, Fla.
Iowa finished shooting 34% from the field and 36% from the 3-point line, but the Hawkeyes relied on timely buckets and a matchup zone defense to turn the tide on the Bears.
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As the Hawkeyes ready for their second date in the WBCA Showcase on Saturday night against Miami, let’s take a look back at some of the game’s key takeaways.
Iowa women’s basketball aced its first major test of the season
No disrespect to the opponents beforehand, but this was an obvious massive step up in competition for Iowa. And the Hawkeyes aced the test.
With veterans like Lucy Olsen and Sydney Affolter moving on after last season, it was fair to wonder how Iowa might respond against the nation’s best teams in crunch time. Iowa responded to the scoring runs and emotional swings of a top-25 showdown on Thursday night impressively. Iowa closed with a 9-1 scoring run to capture the victory.
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Baylor has been one of the powers in women’s college basketball for some time, so any win over the Bears is a great sign for what the season might have in store.
Iowa won with its defense
The score is a pretty clear indication, but Iowa was terrific defensively against the Baylor Bears. The Hawkeyes limited Baylor to 29% field goal shooting and 25% 3-point shooting. Iowa won on the backboards, too, outrebounding Baylor, 47-41.
Baylor made just 6-of-32 shots in the second half.
Ava Heiden’s rise continues
There were plenty of flashes of greatness during Ava Heiden’s freshman season, especially late in the year. Now, the sophomore center looks like she’s morphing into a star.
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Heiden led Iowa in scoring and rebounding as she posted a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds on 7-of-14 shooting. The 6-foot-4 center has a bright, bright future in front of her in Iowa City.
Taylor Stremlow provides a big lift
Sophomore guard Taylor Stremlow finished with a career-high 12 points off Iowa’s bench to provide a big-time spark for the Hawkeyes. The 5-foot-10 guard knocked down a pair of second-half 3-pointers. Stremlow was a stabilizing force for Iowa’s backcourt and that’s a great sign moving forward.
Emely Rodriguez
While sophomore guard Emely Rodriguez was just 2-of-9 shooting on the night, the UCF transfer came up with one of the game’s biggest buckets. It ignited what wound up as the game-securing sequence, too.
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Leading just 52-51, Heiden tapped a rebound to Rodriguez who raced down the floor and made a nifty move to the cup to extend Iowa’s lead to three. Then, senior guard Taylor McCabe stole the inbounds pass and kissed it off the glass to quickly give Iowa a five-point lead.
The Hawkeyes won despite Chit-Chat Wright exiting with injury
In what might be the most impressive feat of the night, Iowa won this game with sophomore guard Chit-Chat Wright exiting with an injury. Wright played just 19 minutes and scored only five points on 1-of-6 shooting.
The 5-foot-4 guard’s presence in the backcourt was certainly missed, but Iowa found a way to the win column all the same.
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Iowa overcame a monster night from Baylor’s Taliah Scott
Taliah Scott had herself a game. Scott finished with a game-high 32 points on 10-of-25 shooting with six made 3-pointers. Three of those treys came in the fourth quarter when it looked like Scott might single-handedly will Baylor to a win.
But, like the night as a whole, Iowa had an answer to Scott’s shot-making.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa women’s basketball downs Baylor: Takeaways from top-10 win
