Lisa Bluder wants Caitlin Clark to overcome frustrations, embrace assisting role in 2nd half of NCAA Tournament opener

No. 1 seed Iowa took a healthy 48-30 lead into the half against No. 16 seed Holy Cross in the Round of 64 matchup between the two squads in the NCAA Tournament. But it wasn’t all sunshine for the Hawkeyes.

Speaking with ABC sideline reporter Holly Rowe at the half, Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder discussed the at-times disjointed offensive first half for her squad and star Caitlin Clark. Clark was held to 13 points in the first half, but managed to tack on seven assists despite some frustration at the ball being forced out of her hands.

“Yeah, I wish she wouldn’t be frustrated,” Bluder said. “We love the assists. We want her to pass the ball, she’s one of the best in the country. So let’s showcase that today.”

And with Clark showcasing her passing already in the first half, a pair of her teammates combined for 20 points, as Kate Martin scored 11 and Gabbie Marshall added nine more.

At the end of the first quarter, Iowa only led by a bucket, 23-21, in front of a home crowd as the top seed and hosts. But in the second quarter, the offense started to flow slightly better and the defense walled up, allowing Holy Cross just nine second quarter points.

Bluder had been worried about a long layoff affecting her squad, and was glad to see the early doldrums wash away.

“It took us, I think, a good quarter to get our offense flowing and remembering what we’re looking for,” Bluder said. “I thought we did some nice things in the second quarter offensively, though. Some nice give-and-go cuts.”

Clark hopes to be all smiles on Monday as the Hawkeyes advanced

Clark and Iowa get one more game in front of her adoring home fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Monday when the No. 1 seed Hawkeyes play in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. And Clark, playing what will be her final game in the arena, doesn’t want to squander the moment.

After powering Iowa to a relatively perfunctory first round win over No. 16 seed Holy Cross on Saturday afternoon, Clark reflected on her career winding down with ABC sideline reporter Holly Rowe. Clark might’ve been frustrated with her performance on Saturday, but wants to be sure not to let her feelings about the game on Monday cloud what should be a memorable afternoon.

“Maybe a little too hard,” Clark said of being hard on herself. “I should probably smile more, but I’m just a competitor. I love having fun. I love this game. I’m a perfectionist. But yeah, I think smile a little more, obviously. I only got one more time to play in this building and I love this place a lot, so going to enjoy every single second on Monday.”

And Clark, who is going to the WNBA Draft after the season, isn’t the only departing Hawkeye. There are a number of seniors and veteran players on the roster.

And along with valuing their final few hours playing in front of their home fans, Clark also knows the veteran group can bounce back from a slow start on Saturday to come out hot from the start on Monday.

“You know, from here on out, every single team in this tournament’s really, really good,” Clark said. “Everbody’s basically a Top 25 team at that point. So I think you’ve gotta come ready to play. It’s going to come down to single possessions, but our group should know that better than anybody else. We have the experience. We’ve been upset on our home floor. We’ve also made it to the national title game. I think we know what it takes in March and just leaning into that and having a lot of fun with our crowd and with each other. We’ve got five seniors that have given a lot to this program, so just enjoy every single second.”