Well, that was way more sweaty than it needed to be, but the Hawkeyes survive and advance to the Round of 32!
Iowa never trailed in the game, but got all it could handle from a good Fairleigh Dickinson (FDU) squad that came to play.
After an initial offensive barrage that gave the Hawkeyes a 15-point lead, FDU got back into the game by knocking down multiple three-pointers and even got within one point in the fourth quarter.
Iowa went through multiple stretches without a field goal, allowing FDU to hang around, but when they FINALLY got back to doing what they excel at, they sealed the 58-48 victory
When the Hawkeyes force-fed Ava Heiden in the paint, it was all over
FDU proved why they went undefeated in NEC play this season and won 30 games. They are a very good three-point shooting team and play a stingy brand of defense.
Those critical items were highlighted in the pregame preview of the Knights, and they turned out to be a big problem for the Hawkeyes.
Iowa excelled when they forced the ball inside to Ava Heiden, who was a monster in this game with 29 a career-high 29 points and seven rebounds, and when they went away from it, the offense struggled.
The Hawkeyes shot an abysmal 1-13 from three-point range, and couldn't get the offense going for multiple stretches of the game.
They went away from Heiden, and quickly learned they should never do that, especially when she has the hot hand.
Credit goes to FDU for forcing Iowa into bad shots and turnovers, but they ultimately couldn't handle Heiden's size and physicality down low.
Iowa was a 31.5-point favorite entering the game against FDU, but survived thanks to the Herculean effort by Heiden.