Two dreams came true for coach Lisa Bluder last Sunday at Carver. It was the first time the Hawkeyes had a sellout since Lisa took over, and Iowa beat Michigan 104-80 to win a share of the Big Ten title.
“When Jan (Jensen) and I came here 22 years ago, we dreamed about a sold-out arena,” said coach Bluder. “Today you couldn’t have scripted it any better.”
I got to Carver 90 minutes before the game started to get a good parking spot and to watch the arena fill up. The first thing I noticed when I went down to the floor was Caitlin Clark shooting threes with two managers rebounding for her. That was about 15 minutes before her teammates joined her. It’s not by chance that Clark is so great. She is a lot like Luka Garza in that she just outworks everyone else.
It paid off as Clark played 36 minutes, scored 38 points, was 11-of-18 from the floor and 8-of-11 from three. Plus, she had 11 assists, six rebounds and three steals. Every time Clark made a three, the arena exploded.
Monica Czinano added 19 and Gabbie Marshall 14.
Think about this. The Hawks lost two players before the season because of injury. They had a couple of games postponed because of Covid and were down to seven players due to injury.
They hung in there and deserve the crown.
Hawkeyes sweep Indiana, 88-82
It’s not too often you play a team on Saturday on the road and then, two days later, play them at home.
The Hoosiers had to cancel their game with the Hawkeyes in January, so they made it up last week. It was a game of two halves.
The first half Indiana jumped out to a 53-41 lead shooting 54% (21-of-39) from the floor.
It didn’t help that Iowa had 14 turnovers and the Hoosiers scored 23 points off those mistakes. The Hawks only had seven turnovers in the second half, outscoring Indiana 21-14 in the third quarter and 26-16 in the fourth.
You start with rebounding where Iowa controlled the glass 37-27. The Hawks shot 55% from the floor, Indiana 46%.
It helps when Czinano is 13-of-17 from the floor, finishing with 31 points and 10 rebounds.
The game was won at the free throw line, with Iowa going 24-of-26 (92%), Indiana 16-of-20 (80%).
Clark had another good all-around game with 29 points (9-of-9 free throws), eight boards and eight assists.
McKenna Warnock had her second solid game with 16 points and seven rebounds.
“We did a really good job in the second half,” said Bluder. “Our first half we struggled with valuing the ball. We gave them 23 points off turnovers and it’s hard to win a game when you’re doing that. We did a much better job in the second half and our defense was better.”
Iowa 87, Rutgers 78
Clark and Czinano are the top-scoring combo in women’s basketball. Together they average 47.9 ppg.
Clark leads the nation in scoring and assists (179) while Cziano is shooting 65% from the floor, the third best in the nation. Both are shooting over 85% from the free throw line.
Against Rutgers last week Clark scored 32 with nine rebounds, nine assists and five steals. Czinano had 23 with six boards.
Warnock dropped in 19 with four rebounds and three steals.
“Monica was 10-of-11 from the field, that’s incredible,” said Bluder. “Catlin flirted with a triple-double and McKenna went 5-of-9 from three-point range.”
Clark was double-teamed a lot but still put up great numbers.
The Hawks shot 60% from the floor, 43% from three and 82% (14-of-17) from the free throw line. Iowa had a 44-38 advantage on points in the paint and 15-9 on fast break points.
Rutgers came into the game giving up only 60 points per game.
It was a huge win for Iowa as they secured a top-four finish in the conference. That means they won’t have to play until Friday in the Big Ten tournament
It was good to hear Czinano will be back for her fifth year. She and Clark have such great chemistry and it is so much fun to watch them play.
Hawkeye Men
Iowa 86, Michigan State 60
When I look at the score it still seems surprising. The Spartans had won 14 out of the last 19 meetings but the Hawkeyes have won three straight. The score with 3:25 left was Iowa up 82-52.
Last year, Iowa beat the Spartans 88-58 at East Lansing. You start with rebounding, and the Hawks had a 44-43 advantage. Iowa is 16-0 this year when out-rebounding its opponents.
“You play Michigan State; it’s not easy to out-rebound them,” said coach Fran McCaffery. “If you out-rebound whoever you play, you have a good chance to win.”
Luka Garza, who had his jersey retired at halftime, had to be proud of the effort the Hawkeyes played with offense and defense.
The Murray twins combined for 39 points and eight rebounds. Keegan was 10-of-15 from the floor, 6-of-7 from the free throw line, as the Hawks shot 90% (18-of-20) from the charity stripe. We should appreciate watching Keegan play because he is projected to be a lottery pick by the NBA. I have a feeling if Keegan goes pro, Kris has a good chance to step into his shoes and make a major impact.
Iowa 88, Nebraska 78
The Cornhuskers came into the game with one Big Ten victory and the Hawkeyes smoked them 98-75 at Carver Feb. 13. So, of course, the Huskers play one of their best games of the year and Iowa didn’t pull it out until the end.
You start with rebounds and Iowa had a 40-31 advantage. The Hawks are 17-0 when they win the rebound battle.
For the first time this year, Iowa had six players in double figures and Tony Perkins had his best game as a Hawkeye. He played 26 minutes, was 8-of-10 from the floor, 2-of-2 from the free throw line, 2-of-2 from three, scored a career-high 20 points with no turnovers, and added five rebounds. He started the last seven games and Iowa is 6-1.
The Murray twins combined for 27 points, 18 rebounds and four assists.
The McCaffery brothers (Patrick and Conner) combined for 21 points. Conner is really stepping up, especially shooting threes, 3-of-3 against the Cornhuskers. In the last three games, Conner is 6-of-6 from three.
The Hawks moved to 20-8 10-7 in the Big Ten.
Iowa has won 10 or more games seven of the last eight years.
