The Indiana women’s basketball team entered Saturday’s showdown in Iowa City on a 13-game winning streak and in the end, the Hoosiers were humiliated.
The Hawkeyes pulled away in the third quarter and won 84-57 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa (17-1, 6-0 Big Ten) was very even for the first two quarters, trailing by just six points at halftime. But the Hawkeyes fought back defensively in the third quarter, outscoring the Hoosiers 22-11. Indiana (14-2, 5-1) shot just 27.3 percent from the field in the deciding quarter. IU committed 20 turnovers against Penn State on Wednesday, and it was an issue again at Iowa State. The Hoosiers scored nine goals in the first half (which, along with the free throws, made the difference between winning and losing the game at that point) and finished.
Iowa phenom Caitlin Clark got off to a slow start, missing her first six 3-pointers. The All-American scored a game-high 30 points on 10-of-21 shooting and 6-of-16 from long range. She added five rebounds, 11 assists and six turnovers. IU All-American forward Mackenzie Holmes won battles in the paint, scoring in double figures for the 15th time this year. The graduate student made 6 of 13 field goals and scored 16 points. She added seven rebounds, four assists, three turnovers, two blocks and one steal. Meanwhile, her sophomore year at Iowa State, Hannah Stuelke, the No. 6 Big Ten Player of the Year, had an impact for most of the game, as she finished the game with just five points.
However, IU struggled to protect Hawkeye fifth-year senior Molly Davis, and that proved to be costly. She completed 7 of 10 shots and scored 18 points. IU also had double-digit scorers from Sydney Parrish (11 points) and Yarden Garzon (11 points). Chloe Moore-McNeil, who injured his ankle on Wednesday, defended Clarke for most of the night and looked aggressive early in the game. But then she ran into foul trouble and IU’s bench struggled to replicate her impact as a point guard. Indiana will look to get back on track against Minnesota on Wednesday at Simon Skyot Assembly Hall.