That was the type of game that you expect in an in-state rivalry battle. A closely contested battle that comes down to the wire. 6,424 Drake and Iowa fans packed into the newly renovated Knapp Center to watch the fourth-ranked Hawkeyes pull out a 92-86 victory in overtime behind 36 points and 11 rebounds from Monika Czinano. Iowa has now won 19 of the last 20 match-ups against the Bulldogs.

“What an environment,” said Coach Lisa Bluder. “I mean that was like an NCAA Tournament environment and coming here, winning on the road, I’m extremely happy with that.”

“I don’t think it’s so much as we survived them. You’re going to get their best shot; it’s going to be close. I couldn’t tell you the last time this in-state rivalry game was a blowout,” said Caitlin Clark. “I think they’re an NCAA Tournament team. I truly believe that.”

The Bulldogs got off to a quick start with Maggie Bair scoring the first six points of the game, while a layup by Kate Dinnebier put Drake up 8-2 just 1:42 into the ballgame. The Hawkeyes were able to settle in and use an 8-2 run at the end of the quarter to cut the lead to 23-22.

In the second quarter, Drake made another run to get the crowd on their feet and put the Hawkeyes on their heels. An 8-0 run was capped by a Sarah Beth Gueldner 3pt make and it forced Lisa Bluder to take a timeout. Iowa continued to battle, but a layup from Grace Berg gave Drake a 45-41 advantage at the halftime break. The Hawkeyes went into the half with just two offensive rebounds to Drake’s 18 defensive rebounds.

“It’s been a point of focus for us. First half I wasn’t happy with our offensive rebounding. We got 10% of offensive rebounds at halftime. That is way too low.”

About midway through the second half, Iowa was able to regain the lead. Gabbie Marshall knocked down a pair of 3pt shots to break an 0/8 start to the season and give Iowa a 52-51 lead. McKenna Warnock added a 3pt make of her own and Drake HC Allison Pohlman had to take a timeout.

“Caitlin and Monika can step up and hit any shot anytime, so I’m just there whenever they need me and I know that when I have the opportunity to take a shot, to take it,” said McKenna Warnock. She finished the game 3/5 from behind the arc. “Caitlin’s coming up to me telling me to take a shot every time, so it definitely helps build my confidence.”

The Iowa lead stuck for the most part, but never got above four points the rest of regulation. Back-to-back layups from Grace Berg gave Drake a 69-68 lead, but baskets from Czinano and Warnock put Iowa back up 72-69. With 2:30 to play, Caitlin Clark buried a 3pt make to put the Hawkeyes up 79-74, but Drake battled back behind a great performance from Katie Dinnebier. Two baskets from her in the final two minutes, including the game tying layup with 24 seconds left sent the game to OT tied at 82.

“Katie Dinnebier played extremely well today. I was impressed with her,” said Bluder. Dinnebier finished the game with 24 points on 10/13 shooting, as well as five rebounds and four assists.

Overtime quickly began in the Hawkeyes’ favor, and it gave them a leg up over the Bulldogs the rest of the way. Caitlin Clark drove into the lane and used the glass to finish and give Iowa the lead. Gabbie Marshall was able to steal the ensuing Drake inbounds pass and it led to a Monika Czinano basket 20 seconds later. Under a minute into overtime Iowa led 86-82.

“I think the biggest play was Gabbie’s steal to start overtime,” said Caitlin Clark. “I drive in, make a layup and Gabbie picks them off and they weren’t looking. We get another possession and Monika scores. We had four points within the first three possessions of the overtime, and we were able to settle into our defense and we made them take some tough shots.”

The Hawkeye defense forced Drake to shoot just 1/8 from the floor in overtime, including 1/7 from behind the arc. A huge offensive rebound from Monika Czinano with 41 seconds to play allowed Iowa to get Caitlin Clark to the free throw line for a pair of free throw makes to give Iowa an 88-83 lead. They were just 17/30 from the free throw line for the game, but 5/8 in the final minute was enough to secure the 92-86 victory.

“It really builds our mental resolve early in the season. Every team we’re playing in our non-conference is really good. Drake is no exception,” said Monika Czinano. “Getting a win here, having to go into overtime, having that mental resolve, I think it’s good for us. It’ll be good for us down the stretch.”

Monika Czinano finished with 36 points on 14/21 shooting, as well as 11 rebounds. Caitlin Clark had 28 points on 9/28 shooting, while McKenna Warnock added 11 points. Hannah Stuelke grabbed three offensive boards off the bench, while Molly Davis had four points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals.

The two stats that stood out in the final box score was not only forcing Drake into 23 turnovers, but the rebounding effort from the Hawkeyes. Monika Czinano grabbed 11 rebounds, including five offensive boards and overall, the team grabbed 14/54 (25.9%) rebounds on the offensive side. They were also able to pull down 29/37 (78.4%) of the defensive rebounds.

“I’m very happy with the way that we boxed out and we did a much better job in the second half of crashing those boards,” said Bluder.

“I love seeing us having higher numbers of offensive rebounds in games like this. Close games, where those rebounds can mean winning or losing, it’s huge,” said Monika Czinano. “I’m proud of our whole team effort and getting better at that.”

On the other hand, the Hawkeyes will look to improve at the charity stripe. The nation’s leading free throw team a year ago was just 56.7% from the line today.

“That’s something we can build on. It’s still super early,” said Czinano. “It was a great environment to realize what all of our environments are going to be like come to Big Ten.”

“I think for free throws, they are really all mental, stepping up to the line knowing that you can make that shot,” said Caitlin Clark. “We’re a great free throw shooting team and I’m sure game going forward will show that.”

The game had a little added emotion with a ceremony mid-game for former Drake women’s basketball player Lisa Brinkmeyer who is battling cancer. Brinkmeyer played for five seasons with the Bulldogs from 1993-97 when Lisa Bluder was head coach. Iowa associate head coach Jan Jensen was an assistant for Bluder when Brinkmeyer was a player for Drake.

“I tried to get her to come over to Iowa with me, but she was Drake all the way through, so she wasn’t going to come over there with me,” said Coach Bluder. “The reason everybody respects her is because she gave so much to everybody else. She invests in people always and she’s the glue that held our good Drake teams together…She’s the person that always organized the reunions, she never forgets anybody’s birthday, she’s just an unbelievable human being.”

“For her to have to go through this battle, the least that we can do is be there for her…Special game, wanting to do this in honor of her and I think both teams played so well honoring Lisa today.”

Up next for the Hawkeyes is a trip to Manhattan, Kansas on Thursday to take on a 2-0 Kansas State squad at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats recently defeated Wisconsin 77-63 at American Family Field in Milwaukee. Tip-off is set for 8:00pm and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.