Iowa women’s basketball took down No. 5 Indiana, 96-91, on Saturday afternoon. Iowa hadn’t won at Assembly Hall in Bloomington since the 2011-12 season.

“This is a tough place to play,” head coach Lisa Bluder said postgame. “We haven’t won here in a long time, so to come here and beat the No. 5 team on their home court, that’s a big win. That’s a signature win.”

The Hawkeyes evenly distributed scoring throughout the first half. Sophomore point guard Caitlin Clark — who leads Iowa with 27.2 points per game — scored just two points in the first half. 

Still, the Hawkeyes led the Hoosiers at halftime, 46-29.

“Anytime you’re on the road, coming out strong is super important,” junior guard McKenna Warnock said postgame. “I think we kind of got them on their heels a little bit right away, and we kept that lead the entire game.”

Indiana started to mount a comeback in the second half, outscoring Iowa, 62-50. The Hoosiers scored a program-high 42 points in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t overcome the Hawkeyes in the final seconds.

“The fourth quarter was kind of crazy, because they were playing desperation mode,” Bluder said. “We’re playing against the clock at that point, so we’re kind of slowing the tempo, and they were ‘Indy 500’ the flow of the game.”

Clark found her shot in the second half, finishing the contest with 18 points and 12 assists for her 13th double-double of the season. 

All five Hawkeye starters, including Clark, scored in double figures Saturday. Senior center Monika Cziano led the Hawkeyes with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting. Junior guards Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall put up 13 and 10 points, respectively, while Warnock had 21.

Martin also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out five assists.

Big Picture

The Hawkeyes notched their first win against an Associated Press Top 25 opponent on Saturday.

Previously, Iowa was 0-4 against ranked teams in 2020-21, losing to then-No. 15 Iowa State, then-No. 23 Ohio State, then-No. 6 Michigan, and then-No. 15 Maryland.

“We hadn’t had a top 25 win yet, and this was really important for the selection committee,” Bluder said. 

Iowa, at 11-4 in the conference, is now in a tie for fifth in the Big Ten with Ohio State.

Warnock stuns in return

Warnock returned to the court after missing four consecutive games because of a hand injury.

“Oh man, it was nice to have McKenna back,” Bluder said. “Just what she brings to this basketball team, she shot the ball well but she also defended and rebounded.”

Warnock played 23 minutes, registering 21 points, six rebounds, and five assists. She shot 5-of-6 from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line.

“I was ready. I was ready to go,” Warnock said. “It had been too long. So, I was really excited, especially here. Assembly Hall is an amazing place to play.”

Hawkeyes outshoot, outrebound Hoosiers

Iowa had the advantage on the glass on Saturday, outrebounding Indiana, 41-27.

The Hawkeyes picked up 32 defensive rebounds and nine offensive boards. The Hoosiers struggled, picking up just 17 defensive boards. But Indiana slightly outrebounded Iowa offensively, 10-9.

Iowa also had the upper hand from the floor, shooting 57 percent from the field compared to Indiana’s 42 percent. The Hawkeyes made 10-of-19 3-point shots (a 53-percent mark), while the Hoosiers shot 29 percent beyond the arc.

Up next

The Hawkeyes will take on the Hoosiers again on Monday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 

The contest was originally scheduled for Jan. 20, but COVID-19 issues within the Indiana program postponed it to Monday. The game will start at 7 p.m. and air on Big Ten Network.