Iowa women’s basketball head coach Lisa Bluder believes reserve guard Tomi Taiwo is playing the best basketball of her Hawkeye career in the 2022 postseason.

On Friday, Taiwo scored 13 points off the bench in No. 2 seed Iowa’s 98-58 NCAA Tournament first round victory over No. 15 Illinois State. 

“I think she’s playing some of the best basketball of her career right now, which is good, but it’s also sad,” Bluder said postgame.  “But I have so much confidence in her shooting the ball, and she gives us a good defensive spark as well. So, I feel like she just has added so much to our bench play.”

Although Taiwo has another year of eligibility remaining, Bluder confirmed on Feb. 23 that she will not be returning to the Hawkeyes in 2022-23.

This season, Taiwo has been Bluder’s first selection off the bench, and started five games when the Hawkeyes had just seven available players in February. In 17 minutes of play on Friday, Taiwo went 4-of-5 from the field, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. She also helped the Hawkeyes on the defensive end, racking up one steal.

All 10 available Hawkeyes saw the court in Iowa’s dominating win over Illinois State. The Hawkeyes’ 40-point margin of victory broke their previous tournament record of 26 points, set in the NCAA Tournament in 1993.

“I thought we got a lot of great contributions off the bench,” sophomore point guard Caitlin Clark said. “Obviously, Tomi shot the ball well, Addy came in. So, that always helps as well.”

No Hawkeye in the starting five saw the court after the 3:51 mark of the fourth quarter. Iowa’s starters watched from the bench as their teammates sealed the victory and NCAA Tournament Round of 32 berth.

Freshman center Addison O’Grady played almost 14 minutes off the bench for the Hawkeyes, registering seven points and two rebounds. Sophomore Kylie Feuerbach and freshman Sydney Affolter also contributed to the Hawkeyes’ bench score, with three and five points, respectively.

Overall, Iowa’s bench players scored 28 of the Hawkeyes’ 98 total points and gave Iowa’s starters a brief reprieve. Clark, who was on the court for 33 minutes and 15 seconds of game time, was the only starter to play over 31 minutes in the contest.

Bluder was grateful for the opportunity to go to her bench for meaningful minutes, especially when the Hawkeyes have another tournament game on Sunday.

“Contribution of the bench is really important when you’re playing two games basically within 48 hours,” Bluder said. “So, you know, when you can go to your bench, first of all, they feel really good about themselves. But second of all, it really is important to give your starting five some rest, some leg rest, so they come back on Sunday even harder.”

The Hawkeyes advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa will face off against No. 10 seed Creighton with a trip to the Sweet 16 in Greensboro, North Carolina, on the line. The tip time and TV designation are yet to be determined.