Iowa Women's Basketball advance past Holy Cross in the NCAAT First Round
It was evident early on Saturday afternoon that the Iowa Women’s Basketball game was dealing with a little bit of rust after their 13-day break between the Big Ten Tournament Championship and the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. There were moments of frustration, some sloppy possessions and missed shots. However, when it was all said and done, the Hawkeyes had secured a 91-65 win over 16 seeded Holy Cross to advance to the Round of 32 on Monday.
“I’m not going to ever complain about a 26-point victory. Of course, the first quarter I thought we were a little bit rusty, as I said, but I thought we got it going after that,” said Lisa Bluder. “Three-point defense was really good, and that was a key for us. I thought we did a really good job on the boards. We got great paint points, took advantage of some of things, so, I’m cautiously optimistic.”
There has been a lot of hype surrounding Lisa Bluder and Co., as they try to replicate their Final Four run from a year ago. No, it wasn’t the dominating start to finish performance that people expect when a 1 seed steps on the floor against a 16 seed, but Iowa was never in any real danger. Aside from some minor scuffles in the first quarter, the Hawkeyes took care of business.
As for Caitlin Clark, her performance did not meet the lofty expectations that she puts on herself. She shot just 2/8 from the floor in the first half, including six turnovers. Clark finished the game with 27 points on 8/19 shooting, as well as eight rebounds and ten assists. After game, Caitlin admitted that she could have smiled a bit more.
“I would say I probably could have smiled a little more tonight. I think the first quarter kind of frustrated maybe all of us in a way. This is a game you want to come out and dominate from the start because this is what fuels your (tournament) run,” said Clark. “I was a little frustrated, but I feel like that comes from knowing what it takes to be where we want to be…I could have smiled a little bit more, but, hey, I’m competitive, I want to win, and I expect us to be really good all the time.”
In the early going, it was a pair of three-pointers from Gabbie Marshall that got the fans on their feet. However, Holy Cross, for the most part, appeared unfazed by the crowd of over 14,000.
“That’s a really solid team. They’re scrappy, they play really hard and we knew they weren’t just going to lay down and let us win,” said Gabbie Marshall. “They we’re going to give us their all and every team that comes in here is going to give us their best shot.”
“I don’t think there was a reason to go into this game intimidated. You can be nervous, but intimidated is another thing,” said Holy Cross forward Janelle Allen. “Despite the circumstances and despite the end score, we did phenomenal and I’m very proud of how we played today.”
Crusaders guard Bronagh Power-Cassidy was the main player to hurt the Hawkeyes in the first quarter. She hit one from long distance to make it 11-10 Holy Cross, but Iowa responded with an 8-0 run fueled by a couple of baskets from Addi O’Grady.
Power-Cassidy answered the Hawkeyes run with a trio of three-pointers in the final 93 seconds of the quarter to cut the deficit to 23-21 after the first quarter. That prompted a switch from Lisa Bluder. She put Gabbie Marshall on the Crusaders top three-point shooter.
“I think she was really the only one hurting us in the first half, so the message was to limit her touches, her points and that would be a key in the second half,” said Marshall. “I was able to keep the ball out of her hands a little bit and make it tougher for her to find open looks.”
After scoring 12 points in the opening quarter, Power-Cassidy managed just seven points on 2/8 shooting over the last three quarters. That’s the Gabbie Marshall defense in full effect.
In the second quarter, the Hawkeyes settled in a bit and showed their offensive firepower with a couple of runs to take control of the game. Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall each hit threes to open the quarter, which allowed Iowa to open up a 31-21 lead. Shots continued to fall from behind the arc, with Syd Affolter, Caitlin Clark and Taylor McCabe hitting from three-point range. A 14-3 run from the Hawkeyes propeled them out to an 18-point lead, which held until the break.
“I think that just speaks to our offensive fire power. When we’re able to string stops together, that’s when our offense really thrives, when we get out in transition,” said Clark.
The second half began with Hannah Stuelke on the bench, which caused some panic for Iowa fans. Stuelke played just 10:10, dealing with a migrane, but Addi O’Grady stepped up off the bench with 14 points and five rebounds.
“It was a confidence builder. I know that we will need all of us post players to step up in the tournament. It was good to get that experience and those touches in right now,” said O’Grady. “You never really know (how many minutes), so I just stay ready.”
“She didn’t feel well, and it just wasn’t worth putting her in there when we didn’t have to, so just trying to save her for Monday,” said Bluder.
The lead for the Hawkeyes never dipped below 14 points over the last 23:27 of the game, while an 11-2 run capped by an Addi O’Grady layup made it 82-52 with 5:10 to play. Their largest lead of the night. In the end, Iowa was able to put together a comfortable first round win, while also experiencing some adversity early in the contest.
“We have high expectations for ourselves, so we’re not super pleased with every single quarter. I think our defense wasn’t fully there for three of our quarters,” said Kate Martin. “At this time of the year, it’s survive and advance, so I’m proud of the way we responded in a lot of situations tonight.”
Kate Martin finished with a double-double 15 points and 14 rebounds, while Gabbie Marshall added 11 points and three assists. In her fourth straight start, Syd Affolter put up nine points and seven rebounds. Iowa outrebounded Holy Cross 50-37, outscored them in the paint 40-20 and turned it over just 14 times. Statistically, it was a good performance.
Up Next, the Hawkeyes will play for a spot in the Sweet 16 on Monday against 8 seed West Virginia. The Mountaineers defeated 9 seed Princeton in their first round matchup. Tipoff is set for 7:00pm CT on ESPN.
