Caitlin Clark sets assists record as Iowa women’s basketball downs Penn State
Sophomore point guard Caitlin Clark broke an Iowa women’s basketball and Big Ten Conference record with 17 assists in a single game on Tuesday.
Iowa guard Caitlin Clark drives to the basket during a women’s basketball game between No. 25 Iowa and Illinois at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City on Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022. Clark scored 18 points. The Hawkeyes defeated the Fighting Illini, 82-56.
January 25, 2022
Iowa women’s basketball point guard Caitlin Clark etched her name into the record books again on Tuesday night.
The sophomore recorded 17 assists at the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pennsylvania, setting a single-game Hawkeye women’s basketball and Big Ten Conference record as Iowa took down Penn State, 107-79.
Clark’s head coach, Lisa Bluder, isn’t surprised by the sophomore’s most recent record.
“17 is amazing,” Bluder said on a Zoom call with reporters postgame. “I mean, that’s like an assist every other minute, she played 35 minutes … That’s crazy. So, nothing is going to surprise me any more, I don’t think. That’s a pretty cool number.”
The four-time reigning Big Ten Player of the Week also contributed 20 points and seven rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season.
As a whole, the Hawkeye women’s basketball team dished out 37 assists on 43 made field goals — another Iowa program record.
“I think, obviously, to get an assist, your teammates need to make the shot, and that’s the first thing,” Clark said postgame. “The way we shot the ball, especially tonight, that’s what got me there. I didn’t think my shots were falling as well as I would’ve liked, especially in the first half … just finding my teammates, picking apart the zone.”
Iowa shot 58.9 percent from the field as a team on Tuesday night.
Big Picture
Iowa eclipsed 100 points for the second time in three games on Tuesday night. The Hawkeyes came one point short of a program-record 108 points, set against Illinois on Dec. 31, 2019.
Iowa is now on a six-game win streak and the Hawkeyes sit at 7-1 in the Big Ten — good for third in the conference. The only league teams ahead of the Hawkeyes are 6-0 Indiana and 8-1 Michigan.
“I think we have some really challenging games coming up, so for us to have this nice winning streak going, getting our flow back, I think it’s really going to help us in the long haul,” Clark said. “Everybody seems to be hitting their stride as a team. I think we’re playing the best basketball we have as a team over the past year and a half.”
Warnock sets career high in points
Junior forward McKenna Warnock set a career-high with 25 points against Penn State on Tuesday.
Warnock shot 10-of-12 from the field, including 3-of-3 from the 3-point line. She also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists.
“McKenna, unbelievable game today,” Bluder said. “Shot the ball so well.”
Three Hawkeyes surpassed 20 points on Tuesday: Warnock with 25, Clark with 20, and senior center Monika Czinano with 24.
Up next
Iowa will stay on the road, traveling to Evanston, Illinois, to take on Northwestern this Friday.
The Wildcats and Hawkeyes met earlier this season at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Northwestern reigned victorious, 77-69, on Jan. 6. The Hawkeyes haven’t lost since they played the Wildcats.
Iowa and Northwestern will tip off at Welsh-Ryan Arena at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed on BTN+.
