SAN ANTONIO – In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the fifth-seeded Iowa women’s basketball team ousted No. 12 seed Central Michigan at the Alamodome, 87-72.

The Hawkeyes advance to the Round of 32, and will play the winner of No. 4 seed Kansas/No. 13 seed Idaho State on Tuesday.

Central Michigan won the tip, but missed its opening 3-point shot. Iowa didn’t score on its opening possession either, as sophomore Kate Martin missed a jumper. Central Michigan’s Molly Davis opened the scoring for the Chippewas.

Central Michigan got off to a quick 5-1 lead, as Iowa’s only score came from a free-throw by freshman Caitlin Clark.

Iowa did not make a field goal until 7:20 in the first quarter, when Kate Martin drained a 3-point shot.

A layup from Clark tied the game at 13 at the 3:49 mark in the first quarter, and shew drew the foul for the 3-point play. Clark drained her free throw for the Hawkeyes to take their first lead of the game, 14-13.

Near the end of the first quarter, Martin was tripped at half court, and drained two free throws to make it a six point lead for Iowa, 24-18.

At the first quarter buzzer, Martin drained a 3-point shot to give Iowa a seven point lead, 27-20.

At the beginning of the second quarter, Clark made five consecutive points in one minute to force a Central Michigan timeout, as the Hawkeyes led, 32-21. After Central Michigan went on a 5-0 run, Iowa junior Tomi Taiwo scored seven consecutive points for the Hawkeyes, extending the lead to 13, 39-26.

At halftime, Iowa led, 48-37. Clark led the team with 15 points.

At the beginning of the second half, Central Michigan went on an 11-6 run to come within six points, forcing an Iowa timeout. At the under-six timeout in the third quarter, Iowa led, 54-48.

Sophomore forward McKenna Warnock scored her first points of the game on a layup after the timeout, giving Iowa an eight point lead, 56-48.

With the help of a four-minute long scoring drought by Central Michigan – where it went 0-for-7 in field goals – Iowa went on a 7-0 scoring run, extending its lead to 13 points, 65-52.

Clark opened the scoring in the fourth quarter, scoring four consecutive points to give the Hawkeyes a 17-point lead, 69-52.

Central Michigan scored a 3-point basket at the eight-minute mark in the fourth, its first basket in over six minutes of play.

After Iowa got out to an 18-point lead, Central Michigan went on a 6-0 run to bring themselves within 12, 73-61, forcing an Iowa timeout with just under six minutes left in the game.

At the under-three timeout in the game, Iowa maintained its 12 point lead, 79-67, over the Chippewas.

With just under two minutes left in the game, Clark threw a behind-back pass to Czinano, who converted it for a layup and drew the foul to convert on the 3-point play.

Senior Alexis Sevillian saw the court in the final minutes, draining a 3-point shot to seal Iowa’s first round victory, 87-72.

Warnock shines in second half

After not scoring any points in the first 20 minutes of the game and tacking on four rebounds, Warnock scored 11 points within five minutes in the third quarter.

Warnock finished the day with a double-double, tallying 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Clark, Czinano lead team in points

Clark and Czinano both tacked on 23 points for the Hawkeyes against Central Michigan. Clark also led the team with seven assists, and tallied seven rebounds. Czinano finished with six rebounds.

Martin was the fourth player to end the night in double figures, with 13 points.