IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — For second-seeded Iowa, Friday’s win over 15th-seeded Mercer felt more like survival than vindication after nearly making the worst kind of history imaginable. Megan Gustafson scored 30 points with 16 rebounds and the second-seeded Hawkeyes narrowly avoided a monumental upset, holding off No. 15 Mercer 66-61 for their first NCAA Tournament win in four years.

Iowa coach Lisa Bluder thought the idea that a Mercer team on a 17-game winning streak would be a 15 seed was “kind of crazy” — and the Bears proved her right.
“We personally liked our seed. We didn’t love our opponent,” Bluder said. “We played against somebody that was much more difficult than a 15 seed. Everybody can recognize and understand that.”

Makenzie Meyer added 16 for the Hawkeyes (27-6), who pushed the record for two seeds in the opening round since the field expanded to 64 teams to 101-0. This was the second time in three years that a No. 15 seed almost beat a 2 seed. Oregon State staved off Long Beach State 56-55 in 2017.

“There might have been a little (bit of) jitters collectively,” Gustafson said. “I feel like it was good to be able to get the win no matter how ugly it was.” UP NEXT:
Iowa will face seventh-seeded Missouri, which edged Drake 77-76 in OT.