CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Iowa women’s basketball team is picking up right where it left off last season.

After beating No. 8 Virginia Tech, 80-76, in the Ally Tipoff on Thursday, the Hawkeyes made a statement that they are title contenders once again. Reigning national player of the year Caitlin Clark ended the night with 44 points, eight rebounds, and six assists.

“I told my girls, ‘Sometimes you’re playing checkers, and [Caitlin’s] playing chess,’” Virginia Tech head coach Kenny Brooks said in the post game press conference. “She’s that good.”

Iowa is also on a better track versus ranked teams ​​this season than last year, as the Hawkeyes lost to No. 3 UConn and No.12 North Carolina State during their first two ranked matchups of the year and finished 5-4 versus ranked competition on the season.

It wasn’t all perfect. though, for head coach Lisa Bluder’s squad.  The Hawkeye offense was uncharacteristically poor in the first half, shooting just above 33 percent from the field and going 1-for-15 from beyond the arc.  

Iowa faced further adversity during its matchup with Virginia Tech, as starters Kate Martin, Molly Davis, and Hannah Stuelke each got into foul trouble early on.

But as good teams and players do, they adjusted in the second half, boosting their field goal percentage to 51 percent while going 5-for-11 on three-point attempts. In comparison, during last season’s run to the national championship, Iowa led the entire NCAA in positive field goal percentage and points per game with 51 percent.

Iowa getting in foul trouble also made way for some impressive performances by backups Kylie Feuerbach and Sydney Affolter, who scored 8 points and grabbed 14 rebounds off the bench, respectively.

Moving forward, Bluder said she and the coaching staff will have to figure out the offense so Clark isn’t bearing the scoring burden. 

“Obviously [Caitlin] scored a lot of points for us tonight, but I thought there was so many key people that came in and did things that really helped her,” Bluder said. 

Iowa found success with a strong bench last season, with Stuelke and Davis making the most of their playing time, and that will need to continue if Iowa wants to compete with the likes of No.1 LSU and No. 2 UConn.

Despite being overmatched at times  guarding two-time ACC player of the year Elizabeth Kitley and fouling out in the fourth quarter, Stuelke was second for Iowa with 12 points, with many coming off a pick-and-roll screen from the top of the key.

If Iowa wants to be successful this season, they have to find a reliable number two option to take some of the load off of Clark in the scoring department. And if Stuelke can play like she did Thursday, the Hawkeyes might be on the verge of another Law Firm 2.0.