Hawkeyes roar past Nittany Lions
When you’re on a team on a roll, you can be pretty unstoppable and Lisa Bluder’s squad is pretty unstoppable right now. The Hawkeyes have won six straight games by an average of 23.6 points per game, while the offense has averaged 93.5 points per game over that same stretch. Their latest win was a 107-79 run away victory this evening vs the Penn State Nittany Lions in State College.
“That second half was a thing of beauty…We play at a high rate of speed and if you aren’t used to playing at that high rate, it’s wearing on you,” said Lisa Bluder. “We wear people down and I think that’s what happened tonight.”
Penn State tossed out multiple defensive looks at the Hawkeyes in the first half and were able to get 18 points out of their leading scorer Makenna Marisa to keep the game close. It felt like the Nittany Lions threw everything they had at Iowa in the first half, and it paid dividends, as they trailed just 52-47 at the break.
“They did kind of try to send everything at us. They went to a triangle and two (zone). Then McKenna knocked down a three and then Gabbie’s knocks one down and that got them out of it,” said Lisa Bluder.
Caitlin Clark said that only having a day to prep certainly played a part in the slow start, but added that Penn State also played on short rest as well. The zone kept Iowa off balance for a little bit in the first half, but some three pointers started to fall and that opened the floodgates for the Iowa offense, as they scored 38 points in the last 14 minutes of the half.
The Hawkeyes came out of the locker room and created some distance early in the second half, as they burst out on a 19-5 run, fueled by a quick 8 points in under three minutes by McKenna Warnock. Warnock had been held below ten points in each of the last four games, but responded with a career-high 25 points and seven rebounds to lead the team.
“McKenna, unbelievable game today, shot the ball so well,” said Lisa Bluder.
The run got the lead up to 19 points and that was that. Much like the last few games, the Hawkeyes were able to build the lead up to comfortable 79-59 after three quarters and coast to victory in the fourth. The 107 points scored are the second most all-time in an Iowa women’s basketball game.
Caitlin Clark recorded a double-double as she scored 20 points, including four 3pt makes, while her 17 assists broke an Iowa WBB single game record and Big Ten regular season record.
“Obviously, to get an assist, your teammates have to make the shot and the way we shoot the ball, especially tonight, I think that’s what got me there,” said Caitlin Clark. “I didn’t think my shots were falling as well as I would have liked…even if I’m not scoring, I think that’s what’s going to set me apart, is I’m able to different things and bring different things to this team.”
Over her last eight games, Caitlin is averaging 29.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and an incredible 9.9 assists. The Hawkeyes are 7-1 in that stretch.
There were many notable performances on the night, as you would expect when a team eclipses 100 points. Monika Czinano had another good night putting up 24 points on 12/18 shooting, while falling a rebound short of a double-double with nine boards. Gabbie Marshall continues to have a good stretch of games, as she scored 12 points on four 3pt makes, while also grabbing three rebounds and dishing three assists. Kylie Feuerbach added seven points and three assists, which now gives her 22 points over the last three games off the bench.
The Hawkeyes will look to extend their win streak to seven games on Friday, as they travel to Evanston, IL for a matchup with Northwestern. Iowa lost their matchup vs the Wildcats are Carver-Hawkeye Arena back on January 6th by a score of 77-69. However, Northwestern is reeling as they have lost four of their last five games, so Caitlin Clark and Co. will be looking to take advantage of that and get revenge on the road. The game is at 7:00pm and will be streamed on BTN+.