Iowa State star Caitlin Clark knows what to expect from her opponent Monday night. Speaking to reporters on the eve of the No. 1 Hawkeyes’ Round of 32 showdown with No. 8 West Virginia, Clark said the Mountaineers’ defensive prowess was the first thing that jumped out on tape.
“They’re going to want to turn us over,” Clark said. “They’re one of those teams that really thrives on turnovers. One turnover on a team can turn into five.”
However, even the best athletes in the sport can be knocked down by a self-congratulatory media even if they know exactly what is coming. In the first half, Clark had more turnovers (four) than assists (three) and made just four of her 11 field goal attempts. Clark and the Hawkeyes, slowed down by West Virginia’s physicality and full-court ball pressure (both on and off shots), allowed their fewest points in the first half all season (26 points).
But the challenge of limiting Clark and her teammates wasn’t the 20-minute effort. Iowa State won 64-54, with Clark and teammates Kate Martin and Gabby Marshall taking the victory in their final home game. In the third quarter, Clark caught the slightest of his opponents’ mistakes. She made four of five shots and scored 13 points. Entering the final quarter, the two-point lead in the first half expanded to 10 points.
Although Clark also committed six turnovers, she finished with 32 Dot and eight rebound. On Monday, she broke the NCAA single-season scoring record with 1,113 points, passing Washington’s Kelsey Plum (1,109 points).
New record 🤯@Caitlin Clark 22 Set a single-season record for the highest score in DI women’s basketball history!#MarchMadness X @iowawbb pic.twitter.com/ocDrVxsDdv
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 26, 2024
The crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena serenaded Iowa State’s starters during pregame introductions. It roars throughout the game whenever its predecessor (or anyone else in a white uniform) succeeds. But tensions mounted in the fourth quarter as West Virginia opened the final frame with a 10-0 run, tying the game at 48 with 5:18 left. More than two minutes later, Clark hit two free throws, her first point of the quarter, giving the University of Iowa a two-point advantage. But West Virginia tied the game at 52 with 2:55 left.
West Virginia won’t back down from Iowa 👀
📺ESPN pic.twitter.com/wdgKSgGMWw
— ESPN (@espn) March 26, 2024
It wasn’t Clark who scored the most important goal in Monday’s victory, but junior Sydney Affolt. With 2:03 left in the game, the 5-foot-11 guard noticed an open lane and made a power play to the left before finishing on his No. 1 opportunity.
The Mountaineers never got closer, and the Hawkeyes ended the game on a 12-2 run. With this win, Iowa State will return to the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive season. Like last year, they will play Colorado State with a chance to advance to the Elite Eight.
Defense ➡️ Offense @GabbieMarshall X @sydneyaffolter1#eagleeye
📺ESPN pic.twitter.com/vEEwW8UlLW
— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 26, 2024
West Virginia coach Mark Kellogg expected a raucous atmosphere Monday, with home fans expressing their displeasure when the visiting team fouled out. “We haven’t played in front of 15,000 people yet,” Kellogg admitted. “This will be new.” To prepare, he said, his team uses nonverbal cues instead of talking (or shouting).
But the problems throughout the second half were foul issues, not miscommunication. Six of West Virginia’s seven players left the game with four or six fouls. Although the Iowa Mountaineers shot just 22.7% from three-point range, they shot just 26.5% from three-point range, missing 25 of their 34 attempts.
Like West Virginia in the Round of 32, No. 5 Colorado is unlikely to be overwhelmed by the sight of Clark and the Hawkeyes. In last year’s Sweet 16, Buffalo led by one at halftime but didn’t give up that cushion as Iowa went on a 15-2 run in the first five minutes of the second half.
Clark joined her teammates in front of an adoring crowd after Iowa State’s final home game of the season.
“I remember running to our first sold-out audience and feeling chills,” she said Sunday. “Now I do it every night. It never goes out of style.”
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(photo: Holmes/The Register/USA Today)
