NCAAW Elite Eight Recap (Day 2): Baylor steamrolls Iowa to advance to first Final Four appearance since 2012

On Monday night, the Baylor Lady Bears advanced out of the Greensboro region and punched their tickets to the Final Four in Tampa, Florida with an impressive 85-53 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes.

All night, the Bears made life difficult for All-American Megan Gustafson. Throughout the game, Baylor placed a body on the All-American forward at all times.

Granted, Gustafson finished the game with 23 points and 9 rebounds. But the Hawkeyes as a team struggled to knock down shots and finished the night shooting 32.1 percent from the floor.

Outside of Gustafson, Kathleen Doyle (10 points) and Tania Davis (10 points) were the only players who scored double figures. The rest of the team struggled to contribute on the offensive end. Last night’s game was Iowa’s worst shooting night all season, which clearly came at the worst possible time.

Baylor, however, received strong performances from Lauren Cox (22 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists) and Didi Richards (16 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists). The Bears finished the game shooting 52.9 percent from the floor while clamping down on Iowa, holding them to 32.1 percent from the floor.

Obviously, Cox dominated the headlines in Monday night’s win but Richards gave this team a spark with her ability to find the open teammate, guard multiple positions and score when needed.

This Elite Eight victory over Iowa was a total team effort which showed on the defensive end. The Bears held the Hawkeyes to 30 percent shooting from behind the arc.

The difference in last night’s game was Baylor’s ball movement, physical defense and solid decision-making with the ball. Monday’s victory was Baylor’s 27th consecutive win as they head into their first Final Four since 2012 on Friday.

Monday night’s 85-53 win over Iowa will set the Bears up with a showdown against a dangerous No. 2 Oregon Ducks team that spreads the floor, pushes the tempo and scores at a high rate.

NCAAW Tournament game information

Final Four

When: Friday, April 5, at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. ET

Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL

How to watch: ESPN2, WatchESPN

National Championship

When: Sunday, April 7, at 6 p.m. ET

Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL

How to watch: ESPN, WatchESPN

More ways to watch the games

Want to watch in person? Elite Eight and Final Four tickets can be found on the websites of the hosting arenas, or here.