Hawkeyes escape a late scare from Northern Iowa
Rivalry games are supposed to be tough to win. In-state rivalries are supposed to be even tougher. The intensity ratchets up a level, as both sides fight to earn bragging rights for the next 365 days. Friday nights matchup between the 22nd-ranked Hawkeyes and the visiting UNI Panthers delivered plenty of stress filled, nail biting sequences down the stretch. For the home crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, those stressful moments were amplified by the fact that they watched an 18-point lead evaporate in the second half. The way they got the win may have been a bit off script based on how the game began, but the Hawkeyes made enough plays late to escape with a 92-86 victory.
“Is Coach happy? Heck yeah, I’m very happy,” said head coach Jan Jensen in the postgame press conference. “Winning is hard, no matter who you play, and in-state rivalry games are really hard, so that’s exactly what I told the team…there were a lot of moments when it kind of swung, but they did what they had to do, when they had to do it. End of conversation. Enjoy it.”
They way the game started, it didn’t look like the Hawkeyes were going to need any late game heroics to secure a victory. Still, it wasn’t until Hannah Stuelke denied Maya McDermott at the rim with 22 seconds play that the Hawkeyes could relax and feel like they had won the game. As well as Iowa played in the first half, the Panthers were just as good in the second half, riding on the shoulder of their fifth-year senior point guard from Iowa City. McDermott finished with a game-high 30 points, with 17 of them coming in the second half.
“She’s one of the best guards in the country, hands down,” said UNI head coach Tanya Warren. “She probably didn’t get recruited enough coming out of high school because of her size, but you can’t measure heart.”
In the first half, Iowa had everything working in their favor. They got off to a fast start, limited turnovers, got some early stops on defense and hit shots. Addi O’Grady led the team with 12 points in the opening 20 minutes, while Taylor McCabe gave a boost from the perimeter with three triples. Although they weren’t the only contributors, both stepped up after a couple of games without much production.
“We got (Addi) in the first half, from the top end, and she was able to make some moves, and I think she got a little bit tougher tonight and this week,” said Jensen. “She didn’t really like how she performed (against MSU) and I think sometimes the kids that don’t have a good game, they’re kind of looking over their shoulder, what’s going to happen? Nothing, you just need to perform a little better, and tonight, she did.”
As for Taylor McCabe, her forte is knocking down shots from long distance, and she was glad she got the opportunity to showcase it.
“We’re going to play to our teams’ strengths and play to what we think is going to win. Tonight, I had a role, and my teammates were looking for me, and coaches were looking for me,” said McCabe. “People who know me know that’s my strength, and that’s where I’m going to do my thing.”
The Panthers showed signs of life in the second quarter, shooting 55.6% from the floor, while Kayba Laube knocked in three triples. Iowa was still able to go into the locker room with a 53-37 advantage, but Coach Jan Jensen felt like UNI found some momentum in that quarter that carried over into the second half.
“We got a little complacent in the second quarter, and that’s where it became close…We let them get confident. They had a taste and then we started playing on our heels,” said Jensen.
Northern Iowa, known for their ability to switch up defensive looks and show some pressure, was unable to do that much in the first half. The Panthers started to hit shots in the third quarter, allowing them to change up the looks that they gave Iowa on the defensive end and that got the Hawkeyes a bit off balance.
“We were able to make shots and mix up our defenses,” said Tanya Warren. “We struggled scoring in the first half, and weren’t able to mix up defense, but I thought once we settled in and scored, it allowed us to switch up.”
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Kayba Laube added to her three-point total in early in the third quarter, knocking down a pair of triples to cap off a 15-5 run that cut the Iowa lead down to 62-55. Although Taylor McCabe was able to knock down a three a few moments later to somewhat stymie the Panthers push, but UNI had already begun to turn the game around.
Back-to-back baskets from Addi O’Grady early in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 74-66, but Maya McDermott showed up, hitting shot after shot late in the game to keep the Panthers in it.
She put up 12 points in the span of three minutes, twice cutting the Hawkeyes lead to a single point. Once on a three-pointer, and once more on a midrange jumper. Clinging to a 78-77 lead, an uneasy feeling swept across the arena, with many of the fans remembering the fumbled lead against Michigan State back on Sunday. Was Maya McDermott going to will UNI to an even more impressive comeback?
“We were trying to switch, we were trying to do a lot of different things, but when Maya gets on a roll,” said Jensen. “She just had a really great performance in the second half…Could I have trapped the screens, I probably should have tried it and let anybody else beat you. I didn’t do that, but we did about all the things you could do, except trap.”
It was a furious rally from the Panthers, but they never led. Up by one, Taylor McCabe knocked down her fifth three of the game, to put Iowa up 81-77. Then, leading by two, with 70 seconds to play, Iowa went inside to Hannah Stuelke. She converted and then blocked McDermott on the other end. That was that. The Hawkeyes made big plays down the stretch and avoided total collapse.
As Jan Jensen said, end of conversation.
Although the Hawkeyes allowed UNI to get back into the game, they put together impressive numbers on the offensive end. Lucy Olsen bounced back after a tough game at MSU, with a team-high 21 points, six rebounds and seven assists. O’Grady finished with 18 points and six rebounds, while Stuelke added 15 points and six rebounds to go along with a career-high seven assists. Taylor McCabe hit a season-high five triples.
On the night, Iowa shot 31 of 62 (50.0%) from the floor and 10 of 26 (38.5%) from three-point range. They outrebounded the Panthers 39-28 and were able to limit themselves to just 12 turnovers.
Up Next: The Hawkeyes will host the Purdue Boilermakers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on December 29th. Tipoff is set for 2:00pm CT on BTN+.
