A healthy Tania Davis helps Iowa women’s basketball to exhibition win

IOWA CITY — Her first 3-point basket arrived with 2:18 left in the first quarter.

For Tania Davis, it meant a little more than another tally on the score sheet.

It signaled her healthy return.

In her first game in nine months, the Iowa junior guard scored 12 points and recorded two assists in 28 minutes as the Hawkeyes routed Division II Minnesota State-Moorhead, 85-56, in a women's basketball exhibition game before 3,430 fans Sunday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

'It was great,' Davis said. 'Just to see that go down and to get my confidence back and get back in the flow of a real, live game situation. It was amazing.'

The bulky knee brace provided a reminder of court time lost following last season's ACL tear sustained during a Feb. 5 loss at Michigan.

'I'm feeling great, it takes up half the leg,' Davis said with a laugh. 'I feel comfortable, moving pretty well, running the floor really well. I feel really good.'

Before the injury, Davis averaged 10.9 points and 4.3 assists in 23 games. Sunday night, her customary quickness and slashing ability was on full display, evidenced by a drive around the Moorhead defense for a layup, the first of two consecutive buckets that ended the first half with the Hawkeyes leading, 44-20.

'We're hard to press when she's on the floor,' Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said. 'We're just so fast with Kathleen (Doyle) and Tania all on the floor together. She brings a lot to our team. Experience, confidence, swag, she's got a little bit of it all.'

Doyle added 10 points and five assists for Iowa, while preseason all-Big Ten selection Megan Gustafson led all scorers with 22 points and blocked three shots.

Four more Hawkeyes — forwards Chase Coley and Hannah Stewart, plus guards Makenzie Meyer and Alexis Sevillian — scored eight points apiece. Coley and former Linn-Mar prep Amanda Ollinger each grabbed 10 rebounds, while Meyer distributed six assists.

'When you're going into an exhibition game, you really want your team to work on fundamentals,' Bluder said. 'It's nice to work on your game against somebody other than yourself. … I think it gives the players some confidence that our offense can work really well against somebody that doesn't exactly know what's going on. It was nice for us to get out and run against other people, as well. I'm happy with a lot of things.'

Bluder can earn her 700th career victory when Iowa opens the regular season Friday at 5 p.m. against Quinnipiac at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com