Iowa women’s basketball won an overtime thriller against Michigan State at the Breslin Center in East Lansing on Wednesday night.

Up three points, 82-79, the Hawkeyes got the ball back with 17 seconds left in the game. But Iowa junior Caitlin Clark was called for an intentional foul with five seconds left, giving the Spartans two free throws and possession of the ball.

Here's what caused the very strange ending in East Lansing. #Hawkeyes happy to survive this one. https://t.co/JmL0DGTf5D

— Dargan Southard (@Dargan_Southard) January 19, 2023

“That’s going to be a really good learning opportunity for us,” assistant coach Abby Stamp said of Clark’s flagrant foul on the Hawkeye Radio Network broadcast. “Caitlin takes a lot of heat throughout the entire game, she’s got hands on her all the time … she will learn from that, as we all will, but nice for her teammates to have her back and pull through with the win.”

The Spartans couldn’t take advantage of that possession, however, and Hawkeye senior guard Molly Davis drew a foul and hit two free throws to seal the 84-81 win. Davis had seven points and four assists.

“Molly had two really key stops and then obviously made the free throws down the stretch,” Stamp said. “ … I thought Molly did a good job down the stretch and came up with those big stops for us.”

Clark finished the game with a near-triple-double, totaling 26 points, nine rebounds, and 11 assists. 

Czinano shoots perfectly, fouls out in fourth quarter

Fifth-year senior center Monika Czinano went a perfect 11-of-11 from the field on Wednesday night, contributing 22 points and seven rebounds.

She fouled out in the fourth quarter, however, after playing 22 minutes.

Warnock injured in second half

Senior forward McKenna Warnock sat out most of the second half with a hip injury after absorbing a screen.

“She definitely was [in pain],” Stamp said. “She goes so hard, and she was doing a great job … she’s one that plays about the most minutes for us, she’s steady, so that throws us. A lot of our play calls go through her, a lot of that stuff.”

Warnock had four points on 2-of-4 shooting before she left the game. Stamp did not specify the severity of Warnock’s injury but said the Hawkeyes will prepare to potentially play without her.

Big Picture

The Hawkeyes swept the two Big Ten Michigan universities with the win over the Spartans. Iowa took down then-No. 14 Michigan, 94-85, on Jan. 7.

The two games were a pseudo-homecoming for Davis, who is from Midlands, Michigan, and played at Central Michigan University for three years before transferring to Iowa.

“Two wins in Michigan, I think the really great thing about that is that Molly Davis played really well in both of those games, which is really fun for her,” Stamp said. “I know she’s had a lot of people at both games. … Pretty great to go on the road and come back home with victories.”

The Hawkeyes are now 15-4 on the season and 7-1 in conference.

Up next

Iowa will head to Columbus, Ohio, to take on Ohio State on Monday.

Ohio State currently has an undefeated 18-0 record — 7-0 in conference play — and will take on Northwestern on Thursday ahead of the Hawkeye-Buckeye matchup.

The game will tip off at 6 p.m. and air on ESPN2.