No. 21 Iowa women’s basketball downs No. 10 Indiana, 88-82

Senior center Monika Czinano bucketed 31 points as the Hawkeyes took down the Hoosiers for the second time in three days.

Dimia Burrell

Iowa center Monika Czinano celebrates a basket. Czinano led the team in scoring with 31 points during a women’s basketball game between No. 21 Iowa and No. 10 Indiana at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City on Monday, Feb. 21, 2022. The Hawkeyes defeated the Hoosiers, 88-82.

Dawson Moore, Sports Reporter


No. 21 Iowa women’s basketball defeated No. 10 Indiana, 88-82, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Monday night. The Hawkeyes picked up their second ranked win of the season and completed the sweep of the Hoosiers in 2021-22.

Senior center Monika Czinano was dominant in the victory, finishing the game with a 31-point, 10-rebound double-double. Czinano matched her season high in points, including 13 in the fourth quarter to help Iowa seal the win.

“Yeah, I think my teammates did a really good job of setting pin-down screens, and that was something we talked about in a lot of timeouts and at halftime, I was just really able to use those to my advantage,” Czinano said.

Sophomore point guard Caitlin Clark was vital in the win as well, scoring 29 points while dishing out eight assists and grabbing eight rebounds. Clark struggled to take care of the ball in the first half, though, registering all seven of her turnovers in the first two quarters.

Overall, Iowa had poor control of the ball in the first half, registering 14 of its 21 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes. But the Hawkeyes found a remedy in the second half, as they only turned the ball over twice in the fourth quarter.

“If we were going to win the game, we had to change the turnover part of it ,” Clark said. “Me especially, I think I had all seven of mine come in the first half, which is not acceptable. But no, I think that was a huge part of it, and I think running our offense was the biggest change that led to less turnovers.”

Big Picture

After taking down Indiana, Iowa owns a Big Ten record of 12-4 — putting the Hawkeyes in a three-way tie for second in the Big Ten with Maryland and Ohio State. 

Iowa is half a game back from first-place Michigan. The Hawkeyes get one more crack with the Wolverines this Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

X-Factor

Junior McKenna Warnock found her groove since returning from a hand and wrist injury. Warnock played 32 minutes and scored 16 points while shooting 62 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc.

Warnock also grabbed seven rebounds and recorded one steal.

“I think she’s an All-Big Ten type player, and I don’t just say that, I seriously believe that,” Clark said. “I mean, it’s incredible how she can come back and play at that level right away.”

Up Next

Iowa will now travel to Rutgers to take on the Scarlet Knights on Thursday night.

The Scarlet Knights are 9-18 overall with a Big Ten record of 2-13. Rutgers is led by forward Osh Brown, who is averaging 10.4 points per game this season.

Iowa will tip off against the Scarlet Knights at 7 p.m on Thursday at the Louis Brown Athletic Center. The game will be aired on Big Ten Network.