INDIANAPOLIS – The tide turned briefly, then the doldrums took over. After falling behind for the first time all afternoon, Iowa couldn’t buy a basket. Five minutes ticked away in agonizing fashion as the score remained deadlocked at 34-33 in favor of Michigan in the third quarter. The Hawkeyes committed five turnovers over the stretch before snapping the spell on one of the game’s longest and most physical possessions.
Iowa’s Kylie Feuerbach missed a triple and the Hawkeyes grabbed an offensive rebound, only to be fouled twice on the floor to reset the shot clock. A pass knocked out of bounds looked like another lost opportunity, but the Hawkeyes responded with a composed attack.
Guard Chit-Chat Wright faced a double-team near the halfcourt line, but planted her feet and flung a pass to center Ava Heiden near the top of the key. Heiden turned and found a wide-open Hannah Stuelke on the block for the layup and the lead.
No fear in face of pressure. No nerves amid a crowd that moments earlier chanted “Let’s go Blue.” No frustration after coughing up 20 turnovers amid a tight press. Iowa returned to the Big Ten Tournament Championship after a two-year drought with the same collected poise that got the Hawkeyes there back then.
“This is the time where everything is clicking and meshing,” Feuerbach said. “We’re excited.”
Iowa’s 59-42 win over Michigan couldn’t be completed without mental toughness, which starts with a next-play mentality. Heiden exemplified as such late in the second quarter in an homage to Iowa football’s Koen Entringer in the Big Ten Championship in 2023. Same opponent. Same city.
Heiden missed an easy basket near the right block but sprinted down the hardwood to the opposite baseline, where she intercepted a pass, then raced to the other end for a layup at the same spot as her initial attempt.
The second-year explained that her freshman self would’ve reacted to any mistake with self-detriment. “‘Oh no, I suck!’” she imitated with a smile, throwing her hands in the air for emphasis. Now, she adheres to the same mantra she heard on the TV show “Ted Lasso.” Be a goldfish. Their ten-second memory pays dividends.
“I try to be that, it’s a little bit more difficult in practice,” Heiden said. “That’s something I want to embody for the team.”
Focusing on the next play often means quick transition to defense, perhaps the best element to Feuerbach’s game. A member of the conference’s all-defensive squad, Feuerbach took on difficult assignments, helping limit Michigan’s top combo of Olivia Olson and Syla Swords to 19 points on 8-of-26 shooting.
Just as she did on Friday against Illinois, the sixth-year drew offensive fouls on the opposition. She knows her matchup will want the ball coming off a screen, so her job is to prevent the opportunity.
“I try to do whatever I can to stay in front of them,” Feuerbach said. “Because they are usually gonna hit those shots if they’re wide open.”
Awareness of consequences. Taylor Stremlow echoed this theme in the postgame locker room. Heading into the fourth quarter, she tallied five points of 2-of-6 shooting, playing only six minutes in the third.
While happy to cheer on her teammates, the guard’s competitive nature didn’t like her performance. And neither did Iowa’s coaches. Stremlow said she was challenged to make better decisions on the floor, and her choices led her to six points and two assists on 2-of-3 shooting in the final frame.
“Play a new game,” she said.
Indeed, the fourth quarter was a new game for the Hawkeyes, who returned to the post with an effective high-low scheme. Going to the post will be difficult on Sunday against UCLA and 6-foot-7 center Lauren Betts, but Iowa doesn’t lack the persistence and adaptability to do so.