Hawkeyes take a 13-point lead and hold on late to defeat Miami 64-61 for their sixth consecutive victory. ORLANDO, Florida — Iowa isn’t in the mood to apologize for victories, especially on the road, without its starting point guard, and after almost giving up a double-digit lead in the closing minutes. It wasn’t pretty, and it wasn’t comfortable.
In the WBCA Showcase at State Farm Field House on Saturday, the 19th-ranked Hawkeyes defeated Miami (Fla.) 64-61 to extend their perfect start to 6-0 for the second consecutive season. Iowa started the season with eight straight victories a year ago; this time, they’re doing it with a different cast and a different set of obstacles. Iowa appeared to be in complete control for three quarters.
The Hawkeyes led wire-to-wire, controlled the game’s tempo, and scored first with a 6-0 run. They took a comfortable 36-28 lead into halftime after their lead increased to nine in the second quarter. They were ahead 55–46 at the end of the third quarter and seemed prepared to permanently defeat the Hurricanes.
That feeling of security was short-lived.
When Hannah Stuelke scored with 9:18 remaining, Iowa’s lead grew to 59–46—its largest lead of the evening. A few moments later, Stuelke scored again, pushing the margin to 61–49 with 8:30 remaining. However, as soon as the Hawkeyes gained that advantage, everything stalled. Their offense hit a wall, and those empty possessions piled up along with six turnovers in the fourth quarter, dissolving a 12-point lead into a one-possession game. Miami continued to test the Hawkeyes’ composure, closing within 61–59 and then 63–61, each time escalating the tension in a suddenly energizing building.
Guard Kylie Feuerbach took center stage when Iowa needed someone to stabilize the situation. Three of her late, crucial free throws prevented the Hurricanes from finishing the comeback. Miami had one last opportunity to force overtime despite everything. At the buzzer, Amarachi Kimpson attempted a three-pointer, but it missed the mark, allowing Iowa to finally relax.
Relieved and unbeaten, the Hawkeyes knew they had survived a game that could have easily been lost. Ava Heiden and Hannah Stuelke’s frontcourt dominance was a constant throughout the entire game. Heiden finished as the game’s top scorer with 20 points after making her first nine shots and being nearly perfect from the field. In addition to his tough double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds, Stuelke made the two early buckets in the fourth quarter that created Iowa’s largest lead.
With 11 points and eight rebounds, Taylor McCabe also gave Iowa a much-needed boost by controlling the glass and offsetting some of the possession losses that almost completely changed the course of the game. All of this occurred after Iowa found out a few hours prior to tip-off that starting point guard Chit-Chat Wright would be sidelined due to an upper-body injury sustained during Thursday’s victory over No. 7 Baylor. Her status, according to the program, is “day-to-day as the team returns home.” Junior guard Taylor Stremlow took her place, earning her first start of the year and only her third overall. In response, she put on one of her best performances, scoring seven points, grabbing eight rebounds, and dishing out five assists, giving Iowa the stability it sorely needed without its floor general.
Miami, who had a 4-1 record going into the game, refused to go quietly. With 19 points, Kimpson led the Hurricanes and spearheaded the late comeback that almost caught the Hawkeyes off guard. Nevertheless, Iowa managed to win. It wasn’t the kind of performance that makes for highlight reels, and it won’t be considered one of the season’s most fluid offensive performances. However, road victories in November are not about style points, particularly in neutral-site showcase events. They are about trusting your defense, your rebounding, and your poise to get you home during times when everything seems to be falling apart.
Iowa barely made it through all three, which is sometimes the best a team can hope for while figuring out who they are without a key starter. The Hawkeyes will now return to Iowa City, where they will play Western Illinois on Wednesday in an attempt to maintain their winning streak. A home date could be a welcome change of pace after enduring two stressful fights in Florida. After a night when a 13-point lead almost proved insufficient, they board the plane undefeated, relieved, and perhaps a little wiser.
