Caitlin Clark was phenomenal today, going 8/11 from three point range, scoring 38 points and helping lead her team to a share of the Big Ten regular-season title, but what will be overlooked by most as they scroll through Twitter will be the contributions from her teammates.
On a day where the Hawkeyes were taking on the #6 ranked Michigan Wolverines, Lisa Bluder needed everyone on her team step up and make plays. She got that, and some.
Monika Czinano has been on a tear over the last four games, including 19 points on 9/11 shooting today, as she went up against All-American Naz Hillmon for the Wolverines. During the Hawkeyes four game win streak, Czinano has scored 95 points (23.8 per game) on an insane 41/52 (78.8%) shooting from the floor.
Gabbie Marshall was 0/7 from behind the arc over the last two games, but her off balance three point make at the first quarter buzzer was the beginning of the end for the Wolverines. From that point on, the Hawkeyes outscored Michigan 80-55 and Marshall finished with 14 points, including three 3pt makes.
“I saw that there was five seconds left and Caitlin wasn’t open…I was looking for her, but I decided to just dribble and throw it up there," said Marshall. "Honestly it was nice to see a three go in after not making one in two games. I think that gave me the confidence to keep shooting in the next quarters.”
Kylie Feuerbach came across the state as a transfer from Iowa State and she saved her best game of the season, for the biggest game of the season. She scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds, but two huge plays stood out. Her offensive rebound and put back layup gave Iowa their first lead of the game at 32-31, while her corner three pointer at the first half buzzer extended the Hawkeyes lead to 14 going into the break.
Feuerbach reflected on her season with the Hawkeyes saying, “It’s been a great experience being on this team. I really couldn’t ask for anything better. It’s so fun every day. Coming to practice and being in a great mood. Then just having a great environment, great practices and a lot of hard workers. You really couldn’t choose anything better.”
Kate Martin is really one of the more underrated players on this team. She always does the little things, whether it’s a big pass, big rebound, defensive stop, etc., she does things that go unnoticed when looking at the stat sheet. Tonight, she scored eight points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out six assists. The number that stood out most? She led the team with a +/- of 29.
“She is unnoticed on the floor, but her impact is amazing,” said Coach Bluder. “Kate is the glue to this team. She is a utility player that just does everything for us. She doesn’t care if she scores. She doesn’t care if she doesn’t score, she just wants this team to win and she will do whatever it takes for that to happen.”
Tomi Taiwo and Addison O’Grady logged big minutes as well. They combined for 11 points, three rebounds and two assists.
Then there is the crowd that packed into Carver-Hawkeye Arena today. The sellout crowd was electric from tip-off, all the way through the trophy celebration and net cutting that followed the game. The Iowa fanbase is always one of the best when it comes to yearly attendance numbers, but today was several decibel levels above the normal level.
“I looked right at Caitlin and said, “I have the chills right now”, said Gabbie Marshall on what it was like as they took the floor just minutes before tip-off.
Lisa Bluder addressed the crowd postgame on the court.
“It was unreal,” said Gabbie Marshall. “I’ve been here three years and I haven’t seen that many fans in that place. There are no words to explain how that feels and how much energy the crowd gives you. It’s crazy.”
“We dreamed about a sold-out arena. Jan, Jenni and I, 22 years ago,” said Bluder. “You could not have scripted it any better…The crowd today was amazing.”
There is no doubt that the Hawkeyes will have another sellout crowd behind them, if they are able to host an NCAA Tournament regional.
