Unhappy Valley: Hawkeyes roll past Penn State behind Caitlin Clark triple-double
There was a trap game type feel to this one. Coming off a big win against #8 Maryland, with a trip to #4 Indiana on the horizon and an early 11:00am tip in State College. The Hawkeyes took care of business and then some, as they blasted Penn State by a final score of 95-51. Caitlin Clark logged her ninth career triple-double with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists.
The Hawkeyes were able to take control early in the game, taking advantage of some poor Penn State shooting. Kate Martin had seven of the Hawkeyes first nine points, but it was the 12-2 run to end the quarter that put Iowa up 19-9. The Lady Lions shot just 4/21 in the opening quarter, while Kate Martin and Caitlin Clark combined for 15 points.
The Hawkeyes continued to roll in the second quarter and started to flex their muscle, getting the lead above 20 points. Gabbie Marshall knocked down a transition three pointer to put Iowa up 36-17. A couple minutes later, in transition, Caitlin Clark fed McKenna Warnock with a smooth behind the back pass for an easy layup. Then, Clark buried a deep transition three-pointer to push the Iowa lead to 43-20. The Hawkeyes took a 45-22 lead into the halftime break.
The rout did not stop at halftime. Taylor McCabe knocked down a pair of three-pointers late in the quarter and the Hawkeyes outscored the Lady Lions 32-18 out of the break. Iowa used their highest scoring quarter of the day to extend the lead to 77-40 after three.
Lisa Bluder’s squad added a 12-0 run to open the fourth quarter as an exclamation point on a 95-51 victory at the Bryce Jordan Center. Iowa shot 39/66 (59.1%) from the floor, while Penn State shot just 17/62 (27.4%) for the game. The Hawkeyes have now won eight straight games against the Lady Lions and have scored 95+ points in five straight against PSU.
With today’s triple-double, Caitlin Clark ties former Lamar G Chastadie Barrs (2016-2019) for second most in a career. Former Oregon Duck Sabrina Ionescu has the NCAA record with 26 career triple-doubles. Monika Czinano finished with 14 points on 7/10 shooting, while Kate Martin had 11 points and eight rebounds. McKenna Warnock played just 18 minutes, as she continues to work back from her rib injury. She added nine points and five rebounds. Hannah Stuelke had nine points and eight rebounds, while 12 Hawkeyes got onto the scoresheet.
What they did well?
1. Caitlin Clark at NPOY levels again. Clark shot 9/17 from the floor and recorded her ninth career triple-double. Over her last seven games, Caitlin is averaging 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 11.6 assists per game. When she is playing at this level, the Hawkeyes are hard to stop.
2. Makenna Marisa was a non-factor. Much like the first matchup in Iowa City, Makenna Marisa was held quiet on the offensive end of the floor. The Iowa defense held her to just 1/10 shooting from the floor and 0/4 from behind the three-point line. She finished the game with just nine points.
3. Rebounding. Penn State shot just 17/62 (27.4%) for the game, which meant the Hawkeyes needed to big strong on the defensive glass. They were. Iowa pulled down 43/47 (91.5%) of defensive rebound chances and 8/28 (28.6%) of offensive rebound chances. Kate Martin had a team-high eight defensive rebounds.
4. Took care of the ball. The Hawkeyes once again handled the Penn State defensive pressure and did not let them turn turnovers into points. Iowa turned it over 13 times and outscored the Lady Lions 28-13 in transition.
Up next for the Hawkeyes…
With the win, the Hawkeyes move to 19-4 on the season and 11-1 in Big Ten play. They extend their winning streak to eight games and can now look ahead to the next big game on the schedule. A Thursday night matchup against #4 Indiana at Assembly Hall in Bloomington. The Hoosiers are 21-1 on the season and 10-1 in Big Ten play. The game is set to tip off at 5:30pm on the Big Ten Network.
