The first semester is over and the Iowa women are 8-3 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten.
This story was written before the UNI game last Sunday.
The Hawkeyes are averaging 85.6 points per game which is second in the conference.
They are giving up 69 points which is 9th in the Big Ten.
I’ll talk about individual stats and give out midterm grades.
Caitlin Clark…A
That wasn’t too hard.
Caitlin leads the Big Ten and the nation in scoring (27.7), free throws (64) and free throw attempts (84). Caitlin also leads Iowa in rebounds (82), blocked shots (6) and steals (22).
Caitlin was named Big Ten Player of the Week for the second week in a row. She has won the award 14 times which is the 4th most in Big Ten history.
I’ve said this before, Caitlin is not only the best player ever to wear a Hawkeye uniform, she might be the best player ever to play in the Big Ten.
Monica Czinano…A-
Monica is third in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (62%), second in scoring for the Hawkeyes (16.7) and second in rebounds (81). Teams have been double teaming Monica but she has scored in double figures in eight of 11 games.
McKenna Warnock …B+
Lisa Bluder would probably like to have more than one McKenna on her team. McKenna has been at a level of consistency since coming to Iowa in 2019. As a freshman she averaged 8.0 ppg. As a sophomore it was 12.0 ppg starting 29 games. Last year, the 6-1 forward started 27 games and averaged 11.0. This year McKenna has started 11 games and averaged 11.3 points and is shooting 84% from the free throw line, which leads the team.
Kate Martin …B
Hawkeye fans including me, got a little scare at the end of the Minnesota game last week.
Kate went down with a leg injury and couldn’t get up. She suffered a shin injury but came back and started against UNI on Sunday. Kate is second on the team in assists and first on the team in leadership.
Gabby Marshall …B-
Gabby could be getting a B but her 3-point shooting is off. Coming into the season, the 5-9 senior from Cincinnati was shooting over 40% from three. This year she is second on the team with 18 steals
Molly Davis…B
Molly has been a pleasant surprise after transferring from Central Michigan. She is shooting 41% from three, 78% from the free throw line and does a good job handling the ball. Molly has 26 assists, 16 turnovers and 10 steals.
Hannah Stuelke …B
Hannah has played in every game this year and has scored in double figures three times. The 6-2 freshman from Cedar Rapids is shooting 57% from the floor.
Addison O’Grady …B
Addison has played in every game and is shooting 54% from the floor. She is second on the team with four blocked shots.
Taylor McCabe …B
Taylor came to Iowa as one of the best 3-point shooters ever in Nebraska. The 5-8 freshman is shooting 41% from three and 35% from the floor.
Sydney Affolter…B-
Sydney has played in 10 games and is 8-8 from the free throw line. At 6-1, Sydney is a good defender at the guard position.
Iowa 88 UNI 74
The Hawks won the state title again this year beating Drake, Iowa State and UNI.
It wasn’t easy.
The Panthers had more rebounds (42-35), more points in the paint (36-32) and more fast break points (12-8), but the Hawkeyes shot lights out from the free throw line going 28-31 (90%).
Iowa came into the game shooting 73% from the charity stripe.
Caitlin Clark, who led the Hawkeyes with 26 points, shot 13-14 from the line and added eight rebounds and seven assists. Monica Czinano, who had an off day shooting (6-14), was 10-11 on free throws and finished with 22 points.
Iowa, who had 22 assists and only 10 turnovers, had a 26-10 advantage on points off turnovers.
I like the fact that all nine Hawkeyes who played scored.
McKenna Warnock, Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall combined for 26 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
74 points for the starting five is a good stat line.
Jack Campbell
Congratulations Jack for being named a consensus All American.
Jack is the 13th Hawkeye to have that honor. This is the third year in a row Iowa has had a unanimous All American after Daviyon Nixon (2020) and Tyler Linderbaum (2021).
Men’s Basketball Iowa106 Southeast Missouri State 75
Talk about run and gun.
Iowa came into the game averaging 81.7 points per game. They had 58 at halftime.
Filip Rebraca had the best game of his life scoring 30 on 12-13 from the floor, 6-9 on free throws adding nine boards and six assists.
You can see Filip’s confidence building every game.
His footwork and patience down low helps him shoot at a high percentage.
With Kris Murray sitting out another game, the Iowa players have to step up
Payton Stanford sure did.
Coming into the game, Payton was shooting 20% from three. Last year, Payton shot 37% from three and 94% from the free throw line. Against SMS, Payton came off the bench, scored 17 of 19 straight Iowa points that blew the game wide open. The 6-7 sophomore finished with a career high 24 points and seven rebounds.
“It has been a really tough stretch, but I am really proud of myself,” said Payton. “A lot of tough nights but I just continue to put in the work.”
Payton can come down and drain a three kind of like what Caitlin Clark does.
The Hawks had a 21-2 advantage on fast break points to go along with 20 assists and only 10 turnovers.
