Iowa Hawkeyes Survive Historic Upset Bid Against FDU Knights In 1st Round Of Women’s NCAA Tournament
The magic of March is that absolutely anything can happen on the hardwood. But if you are sitting in Carver-Hawkeye Arena completely decked out in black and gold, the absolute last thing you want is a Cinderella story unfolding on your home floor.
For about 30 agonizing minutes on Saturday afternoon, it looked like the clock might actually strike midnight on Iowa right out of the gates.
In a matchup that had zero business being a nail-biter, the No. 2 seed Iowa Hawkeyes miraculously staved off a catastrophic upset bid from the No. 15 seed Fairleigh Dickinson Knights, scraping their way to a 58-48 victory. It was not pretty. In fact, if you happen to be a purist of offensive basketball, it was a downright tough watch. But the golden rule of the NCAA Tournament remains undefeated—there are no style points in March. You survive, and you advance.
A First Half That Had Iowa Fans Sweating Bullets
If you only watched the first three minutes of this basketball game, you probably assumed Iowa was going to win by 40. The Hawkeyes came out swinging, utilizing their massive size advantage to punch the undersized Knights right in the mouth. When Ava Heiden dropped in her third bucket to cap an early run, Iowa held a commanding 18-3 lead. The crowd was deafening. The vibes were immaculate. The blowout felt inevitable.
And then, somebody unplugged the Hawkeyes’ offense. Fairleigh Dickinson flipped a switch and started jumping passing lanes like seasoned defensive backs. The Hawkeyes suddenly couldn’t take care of the basketball, coughing it up five times in a brutal five-minute stretch. FDU closed the first quarter on a stunning 12-0 run, fueled by a barrage of three-pointers that silenced the arena.
Things went from bad to weird in the second quarter. Iowa looked completely disjointed, completely lost, and seemingly shocked that a 15-seed dared to fight back. The Hawkeyes managed a measly 7 points in the second frame. Head Coach Jan Jensen’s squad limped into the locker room clinging to a terrifying 1-point lead. You could practically hear the collective gulp of 14,000 fans realizing their tournament brackets were suddenly on life support.
The Ice-Cold Perimeter: When the Three-Ball Betrays You
You simply cannot talk about this game without addressing the elephant in the room: Iowa couldn’t buy a bucket from beyond the arc. Usually a reliable offensive juggernaut, the Hawkeyes went a microscopic 1-for-13 from three-point land. It was the kind of shooting slump that makes a coach want to pull their hair out.
Meanwhile, Fairleigh Dickinson was out there launching daggers. The Knights attempted 32 three-pointers and connected on 10 of them. That math alone is usually the recipe for a legendary March Madness upset. FDU was throwing absolute haymakers, trying to pull off the unthinkable.
Ava Heiden Puts the Team On Her Back
When the perimeter shots are clanking off the iron and the season is flashing before your eyes, you have to feed your bigs. Enter Ava Heiden.
The sophomore center basically looked around the huddle, strapped the entire state of Iowa to her back, and refused to let her team lose. With the Hawkeyes clinging to a two-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter, Heiden decided enough was enough. She demanded the basketball on the block and went to work, pouring in 15 of her career-high 29 points in the final 10 minutes.
FDU threw everything they had at her, but you can’t teach height, and you can’t stop a player who simply wants it more. She was an absolute force of nature when her squad desperately needed a lifeline.
Hannah Stuelke Brings the Muscle On the Glass
While Heiden was doing the heavy lifting in the scoring column, Hannah Stuelke was in the trenches doing the dirty work. Stuelke delivered a vintage double-double, racking up 13 points and pulling down a massive 16 rebounds.
In a game where the offense was broken and the tension was thick enough to cut with a chainsaw, securing extra possessions was the difference between winning and going home early. Iowa dominated the rebounding differential, and Stuelke’s sheer grit prevented FDU from getting the second-chance points they desperately needed to pull off the upset.
Survive, Advance, and Hit the Film Room
At the end of the day, Iowa gets to wake up tomorrow and practice. FDU has to pack their bags. That is the only metric that matters right now.
But make no mistake, Coach Jensen is going to have some incredibly tense film sessions this weekend. The Hawkeyes cannot afford to replicate this offensive drought when they face Virginia in the second round. Kymora Johnson and the Cavaliers are fresh off an overtime thriller and will be licking their chops if Iowa shows up shooting blanks again.
