Thoughts on Iowa vs. UNI women's basketball: Taylor McCabe comes through

IOWA CITY — Taylor McCabe’s role was sparse during the Iowa women’s basketball recent stretch against Tennessee, Iowa State and Michigan State.

In none of these demanding games did the junior play more than 13 minutes. She didn’t score against Tennessee in Brooklyn; She had a point in Iowa’s win over the Cyclones.

But the Hawkeyes needed every ounce of McCabe’s best game of the season Friday night against Northern Iowa. McCabe drained five 3-pointers, finished with 15 points and pulled off a decisive win to help Iowa survive a thrilling 92-86 decision in front of 14,998 fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Patience has been the story of McCabe’s career. A year ago, when it was thought perhaps it was her time, Gabbie Marshall decided to return for a fifth season, taking on the role of shooting guard and playing more than 30 minutes a night. And earlier this season, McCabe started two games – until Sydney Affolter moved to the bench following knee surgery and played an inconsistent, uncertain role.

But watching McCabe on the sidelines, you don’t sense the slightest sense of frustration or sulk. McCabe was seen smiling and cheering feverishly while playing just two minutes in the second half of Iowa’s win over the Cyclones on Dec. 11. And on that Friday evening, she was the one who was cheered and praised upon her arrival to her big moments.

“Taylor McCabe kind of embodies this special team this year, but a lot of what our teams have been about,” Iowa head coach Jan Jensen said. “They are really fun to coach and for the most part they are trusting. And they wait until they are needed. And Taylor stayed the course.”

Twice in the first half, McCabe hit a three-pointer in one pass and allowed a three-pointer in the next to find a teammate for an easy layup. McCabe made at least one 3-pointer in every quarter, including her highest with 4:19 left after Maya McDermott cut Iowa’s lead (at one point to 19 points) to 78-77.

McCabe played 29:21, nearly matching her total playing time in the Hawkeyes’ last three games. She knows Kylie Feuerbach has played really well as the starting shooting guard on both ends of the court. She understood that at some point she would be needed for a big role. On Friday the time had come.

“Before Christmas you never really know when the minutes will come… as every opponent is so different,” McCabe said. “We’re just going to play to our team’s strengths and go for what we think will win. Tonight I just got it rolling. My teammates were looking for me and coaches were looking for me… And that gave me a lot of confidence.”

And what a time to get started. From now on, the Hawkeyes (10-2 overall, 0-1 Big Ten) only have conference games. They will next host Purdue on December 29th.

How big is a McCabe surge? The Hawkeyes desperately needed 3-point shots. On Friday, they made 10 of 26 shots from deep, including McCabe’s 5 of 8. Some of Lucy Olsen’s seven assists came on McCabe bombs. This stretches the soil and makes life easier for everyone. The result: Iowa scored 92 points and needed them all. It was the first time he topped 75 in over a month (November 17 at Drake).

“I know it goes in every time,” Olsen said. “It’s great when she hits. It’s really hard to defend all of us when Taylor hits her shot.”

Maya McDermott was exciting to watch

UNI (5-6) nearly pulled off the upset after a second-half onslaught led by Johnston’s own 30-point McDermott, who went 12-for-26 from the floor and 3-for-3 from the line with four assists.

McDermott took advantage of a COVID-19 bonus year to return for one final season in Cedar Falls. She is making the most of it and is among the top five scorers nationally with 22.6 points per game.

“She’s one of the best guards in the country, hands down,” said longtime UNI coach Tanya Warren.

Jensen, who recruited McDermott hard, couldn’t refute that. Had Caitlin Clark (who was in the same class of 2020) not committed to Iowa, McDermott could have been a Hawkeye. But at a smaller 5-foot-7, there were always questions about how McDermott’s game would impact.

Anyone who saw her on Friday night knows how good McDermott really is.

Yes, she translates. Their constant movement and ability to create unique shots bewildered the Hawkeyes’ normally solid defense.

“(Sometimes) we don’t give enough credit to greatness. That was great,” said Jensen. “We tried to change. We tried to do a lot of different things. But if Maya plays a role, then listen, I love this kid. … She’s just a winner.”

Olsen said Iowa couldn’t have defended McDermott much better. Jensen said afterward that maybe Iowa should have tried to trap them more, but Kayba Laube (20 points) was so dangerous with quick-release threes that that wasn’t an attractive option either. McDermott is just a joy to watch and she almost led the Panthers until the end.

“We just had to settle in,” McDermott said. “The shots finally came in the second half. We just believed we could, so we did it.”

Iowa finally got the best of her in the final minute when Hannah Stuelke spun for a layup to give Iowa a four-point lead and then blocked McDermott’s shot attempt at the other end with 25 seconds left. Finally, the loud Iowa crowd could take a deep breath and celebrate.

Keep playing this game

In men’s basketball, Iowa and Iowa State no longer play UNI and Drake. In women’s basketball, all four Division I teams in the state play each other – and continue to do so annually.

Jensen said she understands why the men’s teams don’t do this. “It’s a business decision,” she said.

But despite the amount of attention women’s basketball has garnered in our state in recent years, all four coaches – Jensen, Warren, Iowa State’s Bill Fennelly and Drake’s Allison Pohlman – are native Iowans and understand what these games mean.

“You can’t put it into words that both Iowa State and Iowa are going to play us,” said Warren, whose Panthers shocked Iowa State in Cedar Falls earlier this season. “All (four) coaches know how important high school basketball is in the state.”

Jensen laughed that fans would “riot” if the women ever canceled these matches. And in Iowa’s case, all three games were extremely tense. The Hawkeyes had to fend off a massive road crowd at Drake, had to get past Iowa State in the final minutes and fended off a furious attack from the Panthers on Friday.

“An in-state mid-major is a lot different than playing a mid-major from Ohio because you’re not recruiting half the roster,” Jensen said, adding, “I was worried about it from minute one that game I started watching UNI play (on film).”

Iowa won the unofficial state championship this year. This title is deserved and well earned, more than most outside of our state can truly appreciate.

“We were playing with something bigger at stake,” McCabe said. “We really wanted to be state champions. Coach J placed a lot of emphasis on that.”

A necessary conclusion for the Hawkeyes

Take out the in-state factor. Finding a path to victory was extremely important for the Hawkeyes, considering what happened five days earlier in East Lansing, Michigan – when they led Michigan State by nine points early in the fourth quarter, but went cold and collapsing with a 68-66 loss.

For most of the second half on Friday, it seemed like UNI was able to score on every single drive. But when the game was on the line, the Hawkeyes got big hits. They never lagged behind. They never buckled. A bit like the Iowa football defense under Phil Parker: It bent but never broke.

Addison O’Grady delivered 18 big points, including six in the fourth quarter, after scoring a total of six points against Iowa State and Michigan State. In 31:57 of playing time, she was 8-10 from the floor and 2-2 from the line. Freshman guard Ava Heiden, who cut into O’Grady’s playing time, played just 1:41.

“She just got a little tougher this week,” Jensen said of O’Grady.

Olsen was great after a tough game against Michigan State, scoring 21 points on 7-for-16 shooting with six rebounds and seven assists. Stülke had 15 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Affolter had seven points and nine rebounds in 20:35. Freshman Teagan Mallegni turned heads with nine points in 10:52 minutes.

And of course McCabe was the biggest difference. She also got a steal with 1:55 left when UNI had the ball, trailing 83-81 and McDermott on its side. That led to two Stülke free throws with 1:34 left.

“I really feel like we were in control the whole time,” McCabe said. “I think we’re getting better and better in tight game situations.”

Iowa did what it needed to survive. Any win like this is important for a team trying to reach the NCAA Tournament.

“I’m very happy,” said Jensen. “Winning is difficult. And intrastate rivalry games are really tough. So that’s exactly what I told (the team): ‘There were a lot of moments where it was kind of shaky, but you did what you had to do when you had to do it.’ End of conversation.”

Hawkeyes columnist Chad Leistikow has worked for The Des Moines Register and USA TODAY Sports Network for 30 years. Chad is the 2023 INA Sports Columnist of the Year in Iowa and NSMA Co-Sports Writer of the Year in Iowa. Join Chad’s texting group (free for subscribers) at HawkCentral.com/HawkeyesTexts. Follow @ChadLeistikow on X.

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