Iowa and in-state rival Drake have duked it out on the basketball court since November 1974, two years after the passage of Title IX, which revolutionized women’s sports forever.
Fast forward 51 years,
and those passions are as strong as ever—and they came to fruition on Thursday night before a sold-out crowd at Carver Hawkeye Arena. The No. 21 Hawkeyes wasted no time as they steamrolled past the Bulldogs to a 100-58 victory.
As a result, Iowa is off to a 3-0 start, fresh off its recent commanding 119-43 win over Evansville last Sunday. Plus, they captured their eighth-consecutive win in the rivalry, dating back to 2017.
What catapulted them to another W was their strong showing from the outset. In the first quarter, the Hawkeyes outscored the Bulldogs 25-9, including a 17-0 run to end the quarter. That run extended into the second quarter to make it 25-0.
Even though the Bulldogs managed to claw their way back as best they could, the game was virtually over at the beginning of the third quarter. A pair of three consecutive 3-pointers by Chit-Chat Wright, Taylor McCabe and Kylie Feuerbach extended the Hawkeyes’ lead to thirty points, 56-26.
Altogether, the Hawkeyes shot 53.9 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from the 3-point line. Additionally, the Hawkeye bench couldn’t be stopped as they outscored Drake 50-18 in that category. Iowa scored 35 points off turnovers, whereas Drake only scored 13. The Hawkeyes also dominated in the paint (62-24) and in fastbreak points (20-9).
The old expression, “There’s no I in team,” was on full display as the Hawkeyes shared the ball well with 30 assists, and practically everyone who got minutes got on the board. Ava Heiden, Wright and Layla Hays each led the way with 14 points. Hays finished with a double-double that included 10 rebounds, while Heiden had six boards. Meanwhile, Wright was 4-for-9 at the 3-point line.
Wright, the sophomore transfer to Georgia Tech, is proud of the work she has put in and looks forward to getting back to the lab, saying after the game, “I just want to find a way to contribute to the team. I still want to get back in the gym. I could have been more efficient.”
Emely Rodriguez came off the bench and delivered 11 points, matching Hannah Steulke, who also added five assists. Taylor Stremlow added 10 points and two 3-pointers of her own. In all, six Hawkeyes scored in double figures.
Taylor McCabe scored six points, while her sister Peyton scored 11 for Drake. Feuerbach scored five points and dished out four assists. Addie Deal also came away with five points and three assists. Journey Houston scored four points, grabbed six rebounds and had three assists. Teagan Mallengi made her debut after sustaining an ankle injury during the Hawkeyes’ exhibition game against Ashland on Oct. 30. She played for five minutes and had a basket and a rebound.
In the remaining minutes, reserves Kennise Johnson and Callie Levin scored a bucket each. The only Hawkeye not to score was beloved senior reserve Jada Gyamfi.
For head coach Jan Jensen, a graduate of Drake in 1991 and who led the Bulldogs in scoring that year, it never gets tiring to take on her alma mater, as she shared after the game:
It’s just bittersweet. If you’re blessed to have a good college experience, those years are so formative. What Drake gave me, I owe so much to that place and the people. Drake has really good people to this day. I’m for them every other game.
Iowa has now won 22 out of the last 23 matchups against Drake.
