Iowa bench makes its mark

IOWA CITY - This time, the Iowa Hawkeyes' balance extended beyond the starting five.

The Hawkeyes got a critical boost from its bench Sunday in their 88-70 victory over Miami (Fla.) in an NCAA second-round women's basketball game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Kali Peschel, Chase Coley and and Alexa Kastanek combined for 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting as the Hawkeyes (26-7) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 19 years.

'If we were going to make a run, it had to be a complete effort,” Peschel said. 'We had to hit shots.”

Peschel hit all three of hers, including a pair of 3-pointers. Coley added six points in five minutes. Kastanek had a basket, four rebounds and two assists in eight minutes.

'We have that much confidence in them every single time they are on the floor,” Iowa point guard Samantha Logic said. 'Kali played huge minutes; Lexi has played huge minutes. Chase was in there for five, but I mean, she had six points. It's just huge. We're so happy for our bench.

'I mean, they come in and work their butts off in practice every single day and not just those three. The other six that didn't get in, they come in and work so hard making us better. So I mean, it's really nice to see them reap the benefits of that because they deserved it.”

Coley entered the game early, shortly after Bethany Doolittle picked up her first foul. She scored on an assist from Logic, then added a couple of baskets in the second half.

Peschel scored an important basket when the Hawkeyes were teetering somewhat, a putback that ended a 7-0 Miami run late in the first half. That basket ignited a 15-4 Iowa surge to close the half.

She added a pair of treys in the second half as the Hawkeyes pulled away.

'People don't realize that Kali's the second best 3-point shooter on our team,” Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said. 'She's the second best free throw shooter on our team. She's coming in and doing great things. I think she's playing the best basketball of her career right now.

'Chase Coley, she's automatic. She has got the best left hand I've ever seen. We need to get her a little stronger over the summer, but we will. Lex came in and did some great things for us defensively, took care of the ball.”

The Hawkeyes will face No. 6 Baylor in the regional semifinals Friday in Oklahoma City.

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