FDU’s effort against Iowa was one even the most hardened of hearts could not help but love

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

In this business, impartiality is a must.

The temptation comes, however, to have a favorite or rooting interest. Closely follow a team a number of times and it can happen. We are human.

Case in point, FDU.

In the summer, I began attending some of the Knights’ women’s basketball practices, simply to learn and increase my basketball knowledge. Being around the game well over five decades, you realize learning never stops.

At any rate, the practices were like coaching clinics, and they gave me a chance to get to know the coaches and players better. Still maintaining impartiality during the season, I covered a number of FDU’s games.

No cheering in the press box (in this case courtside), the old adage says.

Out of all FDU games I covered in person, the Knights lost only one, in late December to Binghamton. My approach and demeanor was the same during and after the contests: Analyze, report and write from an objective viewpoint.

Covering the NEC championship win over LIU was exciting. The final of a tournament, especially in March, is always a special event. As the Knights cut down the nets, my impartiality lessened a bit, being happy for FDU getting the title, knowing and seeing firsthand the work the coaches and team accomplished on a daily basis.

On Saturday, 15th-seed FDU faced second seed Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. This time, I was not on press row. Rather, I was home with a pad charting shots and making notes, and an opportunity to forget impartiality and root for the Knights.

The unseasonably warm day saw Iowa jump out to a 15-point first-period lead. Teams make runs, and you could tell from their body language and the way they ran their sets on offense and how they defended, the Knights were not intimidated. They answered with their own run and trailed by three following the first period.

In the second period, FDU coach Stephanie Gaitley’s signature defense dug in, holding the Hawkeyes to three field goals and seven points. FDU trailed by one point at halftime.

Iowa began the third period on an 8-0 run. Again, the Knights, not satisfied with just hanging tough for the first 20 minutes, responded and trailed by two entering the final period. Once again, Iowa struck, increasing its lead to eight. Then, Madlena Gerke and Ava Renninger converted layups. Kailee McDonald drained a three, then a layup, to get the Knights within one with six minutes left. Iowa answered, then Bella Toomey’s three cut the deficit to two with five minutes to go.

Iowa coach Jan Jensen jumped up and down on the sideline. She was angered over a traveling call against one of her players. Jensen was probably letting out her concerns. With all due respect, the Iowa mentor was probably frustrated, not expecting the Knights to be in the thick of things so late in this contest.

Gaitley has alluded to playing games such as this in five-minute segments. The objective, naturally, is to win each. The coach was hoping to be within striking distance for the last five minutes. Gaitley and her Knights were one possession, with five minutes remaining, from being the first 15-seed to take down a 2-seed.

In the stretch, it was a combination of foul trouble and Ava Heiden. The 6-foot-4 Iowa sophomore, a first team all-Big Ten selection, was Jensen’s primary option. Heiden scored a career and game-high 29 points. In the final period, she scored 15 points, hitting four field goals, all in the paint. She was involved in virtually every Hawkeye possession those last four minutes.

Iowa moved on with a 58-48 victory, improving to 27-6, while FDU finished at 30-5.

Moral victory was not in FDU’s mindset nor terminology. Regardless, the effort the Knights showed proved a great deal to many observers, impartial or not.

“I think first, it puts a lot of respect on the NEC and mid-major schools,” Renninger, who led FDU with 13 points, said. “(Iowa is) a Top 10 team in the country, and we came in and showed what we’re made of, and showed what mid-major schools can do against these high (major) teams, and that's the impression we gave.”

“I think Ava hit it on the head,” Gaitley added. “The respect that we brought to the NEC and that we brought to FDU, and to show that on any given day, anybody can beat anybody, I think that’s a huge step for women’s basketball in the east.”

Whether you were impartial, an avid FDU fan or an Iowa aficionado, one thing was certain:

You had to admire FDU.

The Knights played with poise for 40 tough minutes, especially facing a huge Iowa crowd and battling the heat in a non-air-conditioned arena. They responded. They had Iowa working hard every minute and battling to move on. In the final minutes, Heiden, an outstanding player, simply imposed her size and will.

“I’m just pleased that we found a way to win,” Jensen said. “Credit FDU. They’re scrappy.”

Yes, credit FDU’s coaches and players. They did a great job representing the NEC, their school, and mid-majors in general.

Impartial or not, one would have to wholeheartedly agree.