Sometimes things go exactly as planned.
It was Senior Day for the Iowa women’s basketball team on Sunday against Minnesota, and for a class that was nothing short of legendary, it could not have gone more perfectly.
“I don’t think you could ask for a better storybook ending to this game,” Hawkeye head coach Lisa Bluder said after her team’s 92-76 victory. “We beat the team, we go 16-0 at home, able to have enough of a lead that we can take our seniors out one at a time and let them get the ovation they deserve, they all have great games.”
The seniors have insisted all along that with hopes of hosting NCAA Tournament games, this wouldn’t be their last game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, but they were clearly feeling inspired by the moment in front of a season-high 9,726 fans.
Sam Logic was in rare form in terms of her scoring mindset, taking 12 shots in the first half, but she converted at a 50-percent clip for 12 points with 6 assists and 3 rebounds.
Melissa Dixon was in midseason form, draining her first three triples to begin the game, and she was 4-of-5 at the half for 12 points. Bethany Doolittle showed up to battle Amanda Zahui B., and had 6 points, 6 boards, 4 blocks, and 2 steals in the opening half versus her home-state school.
“It’s always nice to beat Minnesota, growing up watching them all the time,” Doolittle said. “Being able to say, ‘We beat Minnesota on our home court, Senior Night,’ is really special.”
The Hawkeyes only led 42-37 after the first half half, but the second went as perfectly as anybody could hope for. Iowa won the game, 92-76, but the contest itself became secondary to the perfect storybook ending for Iowa’s seniors.
Dixon left the fans with a vintage image of herself, scoring 27 points in the game and going 8-of-11 from beyond the arc.
Doolittle finished with, fittingly, a double-double and showed why she will be remembered along with the best rim protectors in program history. She had 12 points, 12 rebounds, 9 blocks, and 4 steals.
Following suit, Logic put up a stat line that is representative of her career at Iowa. She scored 24 points and had 13 assists along with 6 rebounds and a steal.
Logic leaves as the all-time leader at Iowa in assists, second in steals, fifth in rebounds, and 11th in scoring. Dixon is the all-time leader in 3-pointers made, and Doolittle is second in career blocks.
The class collectively leaves the program as the senior class with the most victories in 21 years and the leaders of the first team to go 16-0 at home.
With under a minute remaining, Logic hit senior co-captain Kathryn Reynolds — who was on the floor solely to be taken out for an ovation — with a three-quarter-court pass for an open 3. Reynolds converted to put a bow on what turned out to be a perfect evening for the Hawkeyes.
“It’s just special, with these three we just wanted to get our last for-sure win on Carver,” Logic said. “I think we’re going to be here again, but just to be able to play well, get Minnesota back on Senior Day, Kathryn Reynolds hits a 3. As Coach said, it’s a storybook ending.”
Follow @KyleFMann on Twitter for news, updates, and analysis about the Iowa women’s basketball team.
