IOWA CITY — What it lacked in basketball beauty, Wednesday’s Cy-Hawk showdown made up for with vintage in-state intensity. This vigorous women’s basketball rivalry needs little to thrive.
Missed treys, clanked free throws and clunky offense did nothing to derail this seesawing battle inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena, a place Iowa women’s basketball dominated lately when Iowa State ventures in. Two teams hunting their first signature win needed this one badly.
The friendly noise brought the Hawkeyes home.
Despite trailing by double digits late in the third quarter on a night mostly spent playing catch-up, Iowa gutted its way to a 75-69 win over the Cyclones with a closing stretch loaded with resiliency. On a night where both programs emptied the tank, Iowa scraped across the finish line in impressive fashion
Stuck in a 61-58 hole with five minutes remaining, the Hawkeyes needed every ounce of the raucous sold-out crowd to carry them home. Iowa ripped off a 9-0 surge from there with multiple defensive stops in between. Lucy Olsen led the charge, but contributors were numerous. Aaliyah Guyton’s 3-pointer with 42 seconds remaining handed Iowa a 71-63 lead, the final dagger on a night that consistently looked bleak.
Despite a monster night from Iowa State star Audi Crooks, who finished with 31 points on 14-for-22 shooting, the Hawkeyes saved their best defensive stretch on her for the end. Iowa held Crooks scoreless in the fourth quarter while yielding just two shots.
Iowa never really fully warmed up offensively, though its stretches of success were rather timely. Olsen led Iowa with 25 points while picking up needed double-digit assistance from Sydney Affolter and Hannah Stuelke. Iowa still finished a dismal 8-for-25 from deep while going 15-for-25 at the line, which was aided by Iowa State’s late fouling. But the Hawkeyes seemed to save their clutch connections when most needed.
The Hawkeyes did climb out of a double-digit first-quarter hole while slogging through the basketball muck, hurdling missed treys and free throws to claw within three at halftime. Both teams finished the first half shooting under 45% from the line, with Iowa adding a 4-for-15 showing from deep to go alongside.
Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.
