The No. 4 Iowa women’s basketball team defeated Minnesota, 94-71, behind superstar guard Caitlin Clark’s 35 points and 10 assists inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday.
Clark broke multiple records in this game, including moving up the Big Ten all-time three-pointers made list, becoming the Big Ten all-time assists leader, and creating a category of her own.
Iowa showed its defensive prowess early on while firing on offense, hitting four of the first five shots while holding Minnesota to just two makes of its first seven attempts. Caitlin Clark hit her first three-pointer of the game around the 6:40 mark in the first quarter to push the score to 11-2, forcing the Golden Gophers to take a timeout.
Despite shooting just 3-of-10 from distance in the first quarter, Iowa continued to expose the best interior defensive team in the Big Ten conference in Minnesota with dominant 7-of-9 shooting inside the arc — very routine for the Black and Gold as they’re shooting 71 percent around the rim on the season.
A Clark stepback and-one jumper from the free throw line late in the period highlighted a 25-12 first quarter for the Hawkeyes.
The star play of Clark and this deep Hawkeye team could not be stopped throughout the second quarter. Iowa went on a 15-5 run through three minutes around the midway mark in the period that included five points and two assists from the superstar point guard.
But Minnesota refused to let up despite its offensive struggles. Down 20 late in the first half, the Golden Gophers forced three straight turnovers, turned into six points to shorten the Iowa lead.
The mini Minnesota run was not enough as Iowa held a 49-31 lead heading into halftime. Clark led the way with 17 points and five assists while Iowa guard Kate Martin followed up with 11 points and four rebounds — one of five Hawkeyes with at least three rebounds as they out-rebounded the Golden Gophers, 28-13, through the first 20 minutes of play.
The third quarter became the Caitlin Clark show — proving why she’s the best player in college women’s basketball and the projected first overall pick in next year’s WNBA draft. The superstar knocked down three straight three-pointers through the first 2:30 of the third quarter — her first three placing her third all-time in Big Ten history for threes made.
Not only that, but with her sixth, seventh, and eighth assists of the game, Clark became the first player in college basketball history — men’s or women’s — to record 3,000 points, 900 assists, and 800 rebounds while becoming the all-time leader in assists in Big Ten history with her 902nd career dime.
Clark’s record-breaking third quarter consisted of 16 points and three assists on five made threes as the Hawkeyes headed into the fourth quarter up, 76-49.
Iowa was on cruise control for the final 10 minutes of the game. Regardless of the 27-point lead, the team chemistry was on full display for the Hawkeyes, delivering multiple eye-popping assists to keep the fans engaged.
Clark recorded her 10th assist of the game to lock in a double-double for the contest. Shortly after, starters were subbed out of the game, receiving a standing ovation as Iowa ended the 2023 calendar year on a 10-game win streak with the victory.
