Sunday on ABC and the Iowa vs UConn Phil Knight Legacy Championship game lived up to the hype.

It was everything that everyone had hoped for coming into the season. The Hawkeyes had the Huskies on the ropes several times, but it just wasn’t meant to be.

In the end, it was a 13-0 run from Geno Auriemma’s squad that led to UConn lifting the trophy after an 86-79 victory at the Moda Center in Portland. Despite the victory, Auriemma recognized the tough battle in the handshake line.

Connecticut built a 20-14 lead after the first quarter behind ten points from Aaliyah Edwards, while the Huskies forced five turnovers and grabbed three offensive boards to help the cause. In the second quarter, the Hawkeyes started to gain some confidence behind the shooting of Kate Martin. Her first 3pt make of the game came in transition and it capped an 11-2 run that forced Geno Auriemma to take a timeout with Iowa leading 27-22.

Later, a third Kate Martin 3pt make of the quarter gave Iowa their largest lead of the half at 41-32. Caitlin Clark and Martin combined for 22 points on 9/12 shooting in the second quarter and Iowa went into the half with a 41-35 lead. The big story of the first half was the Iowa defense holding Azzi Fudd to just two points on 1/8 shooting. Aaliyah Edwards and Aubrey Griffin picked up the slack with a combined 24 points and 11 rebounds.

"It really was difficult to play against these guys," said UConn Head Coach Geno Auriemma. "I don't think we felt really good about ourselves at halftime.”

The confidence for Lisa Bluder’s squad continued into the second half and allowed them to extend their lead to double digits. Back-to-back 3pt makes from McKenna Warnock and Kate Martin forced another timeout from UConn with Iowa growing its lead to 52-41. This time, the Huskies punched back, and the run was spearheaded by talented sophomore Azzi Fudd. Fudd and Aynna Patterson teamed up for an 11-0 run, including a 3pt make from Fudd to tie the game up at 52 with 3:49 to play in the third quarter. UConn took a small 61-57 lead into the final quarter.

The Hawkeyes once again made a run to take the lead back at the beginning of the fourth quarter. A big offensive rebound and putback from Hannah Stuelke gave Iowa the lead, while Kate Martin knocked down her sixth 3pt make of the game to cap a 7-0 run and put the Hawkeyes up 66-61. Later, a Gabbie Marshall steal and layup put Iowa up 70-66 with 6:04 to play, but UConn landed the final punch of the game.

The Huskies went on a 13-0 run behind big shots from Lou Lopez Senechal and Caroline Ducharme to go up 79-70, which ended up being the difference. The Hawkeyes got the lead down to 84-79 with 36.7 to go, but a couple of Caroline Ducharme free throws and a couple Iowa missed shots finished off the game. Connecticut picked up the 86-79 victory and got to raise the Phil Knight Legacy trophy.

“I was pleased with our first half, but Azzi really came to life in that third quarter,” said Iowa coach Lisa Bluder. “We created some problems for them defensively. If it wasn't for that third quarter, but yes, we play four. That’s where our defense let up and they got a lot of confidence.”

“Then we missed some shots in the fourth quarter that we usually make and could have had a chance to make this an even closer game and potentially win if we would have made some of those shots that we usually make.”

Caitlin Clark finished the game with 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists, but struggled from behind arc, going just 2/11. Monika Czinano mustered just seven shots and eight points, but it was those around Clark/Czinano that gave the Hawkeyes a chance to win. Kate Martin went 6/6 from behind the 3pt line en route to a career-high 20 points, while McKenna Warnock and Gabbie Marshall combined for 24 points.

For the Huskies, Azzi Fudd stepped up in the second half with 22 points, while Aaliyah Edwards and Aubrey Griffin combined for 30 points. Caroline Ducharme was big in the second half and finished with 15 points off the bench, including three 3pt makes.

Coming into the contest, Connecticut was averaging 44.3 points off of turnovers/second chance opportunities. Today, they forced 11 turnovers and grabbed 11 offensive rebounds, which turned into 27 points. They shot 67.7% in the second half, including 7/10 from behind the 3pt line.

“Our transition offense was tremendous and when we pushed the ball we had great looks,” said Caitlin Clark. “But when they make shots it’s hard to get out in transition.”

The noticeable difference in today’s game is that it was close until the very end. A change from 2019s Elite Eight where the Hawkeyes fell 81-66 to Baylor and 2021s Sweet Sixteen where the Hawkeyes fell 92-72 to Connecticut. Iowa showed their ability to hang with the big dogs.

While the Hawkeyes return home for their next game, the schedule does not get any easier. Up next is the Big Ten/ACC Challenge at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Thursday. The 13th ranked North Carolina State Wolfpack come to town with a 6-1 record after going 2-0 in the Cancun Challenge. They defeated Vanderbilt and West Virginia in the Thanksgiving Tournament. Tipoff is set for 7:30 and will be televised on ESPN2.