“Well, it wasn’t the same game as it was up in Minnesota,” said Lisa Bluder to open the post game press conference.

Last time these two teams met, the Hawkeyes outscored the Gophers 58-15 in the second half and gave them their second worst defeat in school history, winning 105-49. Tonight, Minnesota gave it all they had with Sara Scalia and Deja Winters combining for 55 points, but in the end the Hawkeyes were too much and won by a final score of 88-78.

Iowa jumped out to a 20-9 lead in the first quarter led by a 10-0 run and 10-2 run, but eight second chance points by the Gophers helped them cut it to just 27-21. Iowa opened the second quarter on a 10-3 run, with a Kylie Feuerbach 3pt make giving Iowa their largest lead at 37-24, but once again the Gophers battled back. Sara Scalia hit back-to-back 3pt shots to cut into the Iowa lead. Late in the half, Minnesota grabbed five offensive rebounds in one possession before eventually getting to the line for free throws and they cut the lead to 42-37 at the break.

In the third quarter, Deja Winters started to get hot, pouring on 13 points, and it helped Minnesota get the gap closed even further to 62-61 after three quarters. Winters would finish the game with a career-high 30 points, including five 3pt makes.

“She averages 11 and she had 30 today. She just had a really great game and sometimes kids are just in a zone…She made some really difficult shots with people in her face.”

There was some frustration on the faces of the Hawkeyes, as they knew allowing 14 offensive rebounds and the shot making of Winters was keeping the Gophers in the game. Monika Czinano in particular was frustrated, as she went 2/9 from the floor in the middle two quarters.

“Monika struggled a little bit and that’s pretty uncharacteristic for her,” said Lisa Bluder.

However, the Hawkeyes settled things down and kept with Czinano in the fourth quarter and it paid off. Monika scored 12 points on 5/6 shooting in the final period and Iowa was able to turn a one-point lead into a 12-point lead just three minutes into the fourth.

“I think a huge part of it is Coach Jensen’s trust in me. Obviously, I want perfection out of myself, and I do get frustrated when that stuff starts to happen, but Coach J is always so encouraging and then my teammates,” said Czinano. “I missed a couple in the elbow area and then Caitlin passed it to me, and I finally made one. From then on it felt a little bit more natural.”

Iowa struggled on the glass through three quarters, but locked down in the fourth out rebounding the Gophers 10-1, including four offensive rebounds that they turned into nine points. Minnesota was outscored 26-14 in the fourth until a late 3pt basket, but Iowa’s play picked up at the right time and they were able to hold off the Gophers for the 88-78 win.

“We’ve kind of been tested in some fourth quarters and haven’t always pulled it out, so I think that was a good test for us,” said Caitlin Clark. “That’s what March is going to be about. You aren’t going to win by 20 points every game and we really knew they were going to give us their best shot.”

Clark had another high-scoring night, pouring on 32 points on 10/20 shooting, while also grabbing eight rebounds and dishing six assists. Tomi Taiwo played 35.5 minutes in her part-time starting role and was excellent for the Hawkeyes all night. Taiwo scored 14 points, grabbed five rebounds and picked up a couple steals to give the team a much-needed boost in the absence of McKenna Warnock.

“I thought Tomi played really really well today, offensively and defensively,” said Lisa Bluder. “Did a tremendous job defensively and had some hard defensive assignments, but also offensively. Shot the ball well and had a couple steals.”

Since her name was called on, Tomi Taiwo has stepped into the starting five and done a good job filling the gap left by Warnock and Marshall being out due to injury. She is beginning to look very comfortable on the court and talked about that in the postgame.

“Just having that mentality that it’s always next man up…We knew that we needed to pick up scoring offensively and then defensively being a presence,” said Taiwo. “I think just being more confident in my game and making sure I can help in any way possible.”

Gabbie Marshall played for the first time in two games and should be good to go moving forward, while McKenna Warnock is still questionable going into the Maryland game on Monday. Tomi talked about the adversity this team has faced with the recent injuries and how they have been able to fight through it and still play well enough to win games.

“Perseverance and just how gritty and resilient we are. If we have 5-6 players we are still going to give it the we’ve got when other teams might give up…We know that if we have each other, we have enough.”

The Hawkeyes next match-up is a big one for both the Big Ten standings and NCAA Tournament seeding, as the Maryland Terrapins come to Carver on Monday night. The teams are tied for third in the Big Ten at 10-3, while the Terrapins are projected a #5 seed in the NCAA bracket, with the Hawkeyes at a #6 seed. The winner will pick up a Quad 1 win and help bolster their resume, as both fight for the opportunity to host a regional as a top four seed. The game is at 8:00pm and will be televised nationally on ESPN2.