No. 14 Iowa escapes Drake challenge, 75-71

DES MOINES -- Kamille Wahlin saw an open lane. And an opportunity.

Wahlin's basket with 53 seconds left gave Iowa the lead for good, and the 14th-ranked Hawkeyes escaped the Knapp Center with a 75-71 win over Drake in a non-conference women's basketball game in front of 2,665 fans.

"I've done that shot so many times," Wahlin said of her 7-foot tie-breaker. "I just let it go."

"That's a Kamille shot," said teammate Kachine Alexander. "That's nothing new."

Lisa Bluder picked up her 200th victory at Iowa as the Hawkeyes improved to 11-1. She coached at Drake for 10 seasons before leaving for Iowa, where she has been for 11.

"I thought the emotions (of coming back) would be over, but you walk into this place ... I was on the treadmill at the Marriott this morning, and I teared up watching a Folgers ad," Bluder said.

The emotion late Monday was one of relief. The Bulldogs (5-5) controlled most of the first half, then Iowa steamrolled to a 61-50 lead with 9:35 to go.

But Drake wasn't dead.

A flurry of conventional three-point plays got the Bulldogs back into it, then a five-point possession tied the contest, 71-71, with 1:10 left.

Rachael Hackbarth was scored and was fouled. She missed the free throw, but Angela Christianson grabbed the offensive rebound, was fouled and converted the free throw to knot the game.

"I'm really proud of the way our team played," said Drake Coach Amy Stephens. "We did everything right to give ourselves a chance.

"I'm just disappointed we weren't able to finish it."

On the next possession, Wahlin drove to the middle of the lane from the right side and shot. The ball hit the front of the rim, then nestled into the net to put the Hawkeyes back in front.

Christianson missed a go-ahead 3-point attempt, and Jaime Printy was fouled with 21 seconds left. She made the first free throw, then missed her second -- ending a streak of 32 straight foul-shot conversions.

Drake's Kristin Turk missed a trey, then Alexander made the clinching free throw with 3 seconds left.

"Last year, I don't think we would have won this game," said Alexander, who scored a season-high 26 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the floor. "We are mentally tougher, we're stronger and our chemistry might be better.

"When they got to 71-71, we got together and said, 'Don't worry. We're going to get through this.'"

Hackbarth led all scorers with a season-high 27 points.

"I had the mentality that they weren't going to stop me," she said. "We played with a lot of passion and a lot of spirit tonight.

"We shouldn't walk out with our heads down. This was a fun game, even though we lost."

Turk added 17 points for the Bulldogs. Wahlin and Printy posted 13 apiece for Iowa.

Drake built a 15-2 advantage in points off turnovers on its way to a 39-33 halftime advantage. The Hawkeyes had 12 turnovers in the first half, four in the second.

"We started making better decisions," Bluder said. "And we got some higher-percentage shots."

Both teams conclude pre-conference play Wednesday. The Hawkeyes host Northern Iowa; Drake hosts Air Force.