The Hawkeyes flirted with the wrong side of history for much of the contest, but free throws and solid defense down the stretch sent Iowa to the second round.
Survive and advance.
That's the theme of the NCAA tournament, and the No. 2-seeded Iowa women's basketball team definitely played to that motto on Saturday, escaping a valiant fight from the 15th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson Knights at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, 58-48.
Sophomore sensation Ava Heiden led the way with 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting, and Iowa narrowly avoided becoming the first No. 2 seed to lose to a No. 15 seed in NCAA history.
The Hawkeyes advance to the second round with the victory, where they'll play No. 10 Virginia on Monday. The start time will be announced Saturday evening.
First Half
Iowa didn't overthink its game pan early on. The Hawkeyes knew they had the height advantage from the start, evidenced by a bucket from star sophomore Ava Heiden just nine seconds into the game.
Iowa continued to lay the hammer down after that, making its first five field goals en route to a 12-3 lead only three minutes into the contest. Maintaining that perfect status is hard to do at any level of basketball, but the Hawkeyes continued to get (and make) open shots. Iowa didn't miss a basket until the 4:28 mark of the quarter - a remarkable 5:72 stretch of perfect basketball (7/7 from the floor).
The Hawkeyes opened up a 20-5 lead as a result, but the Knights showed the capacity crowd they weren't coming to Iowa City to collect a participation award. Fairleigh Dickinson struggled from deep for most of the period, but it caught fire in the closing minutes - connecting on four consecutive triples to trim Iowa's once dominant lead to 20-17 after the first quarter.
Former Hawkeyes and current WNBA players Lucy Olsen and Kate Martin fired up the crowd in between periods, and but it didn't trickle down to the 2025-26 Iowa huddle. Taylor Stremlow nabbed her own rebound and drove in for for a layup to start the period, but turnovers and poor shooting allowed the Knights to hang around.
Iowa shot just 3/15 (20%) in the second quarter, and by the time it was over, Fairleigh Dickinson was very much alive, trailing by just one, 27-26, at the break.
Second Half
Jan Jensen likely gave her team a fiery message at halftime, and the Hawkeyes responded by beginning the second half on an 8-0 run. Whatever didn't work in the second quarter worked to perfection in this stretch, as Iowa was finding open holes in the FDU defense and making life difficult for the Knights on defense.
After Fairleigh Dickinson burned a timeout, the flow of the game reached a screeching halt. The next bucket of the game wouldn't come until the 3:16 mark - an FDU layup - and it triggered a 5-0 Knights spurt and just a 35-31 Iowa lead.
Jensen called a timeout, but the Hawkeye offense remained stuck in the mud. The last possession of the third quarter was a microcosm of this, as Iowa looked unsure of what it was trying to run. Kylie Feuerbach still had an open look from the corner, but the shot was no good, and the Hawkeyes led 35-33 after 30 minutes of action.
The Hawkeye faithful were very anxious by this point, for good reason. A No. 15 seed has never beaten a No. 2 seed in NCAA women's basketball tournament history (0-126), and Iowa fans hoped this unseasonably-scorching hot March Saturday wouldn't be the first occurrence.
The Hawkeyes extended their lead to eight, but the resurgent Knights just wouldn't go away, embarking on a 7-0 run to slice Iowa's lead back to a point. The one-score lead remained for the next few minutes, but the Hawkeyes pushed it back up to 52-46 with 3:45 to play.
Carver-Hawkeye Arena was roaring with enthusiasm at this point, and Iowa made its free throws down the stretch to escape with the victory.
LAST Day of the Caitlin Clark jersey contest!
HawkeyeRoundtable is giving away a FREE Cailtin Clark jersey! This is a cool chance to surprise someone with a birthday gift or just some cool Hawkeye swag! It only takes you 2 minutes to join, and it's completely FREE!
The contest is open through March 21, so don't miss out on the chance to enter your name. Click here to join!
Looking for a FREE Hawkeyes community?
Don't miss out on our Roundtable community and the latest news! It's completely FREE to join.
Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members. Download the FREE Roundtable APP and stay even more connected!