BLOOMINGTON — “Airball. Airball. Airball.”

After missing a triple from the left wing late in the second quarter, that’s what Iowa’s Caitlin Clark heard from the crowd every time she touched the ball against Indiana on Thursday night.

The NCAA women’s basketball’s all-time leading scorer finished the contest 3-of-16 from beyond the arc as the Hawkeyes fell to 23-4 overall and 12-3 in conference play. Iowa’s 86-69 defeat marked just the third game since the start of the 2021-22 season that the Hawkeyes have lost by more than 15 points.

“[Indiana] had a great game plan. I think they frustrated Caitlin at times,” Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said postgame.

Clark, who scored four points in the final 20 minutes, also had an exchange with Indiana’s bench in the second half after being fouled. No. 22’s frustration fueled the 17,000 fans dressed in white as an “overrated” chant rang through Assembly Hall.

The fourth-year guard didn’t take the altercation too personally, though, and ultimately finished the game one mark shy of a triple-double, totaling 24 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists.

Clark said she has “all the respect in the world for [Indiana],” and Hoosier head coach Teri Moren said “some very nice things” to her after the game.

“It should be heated. It should be that way. That’s what makes women’s basketball fun,” Clark said.

When the two squads played earlier this season, Iowa cruised to a 27-point victory. Moren said the Hoosiers switched up their defense this time around against the Hawkeyes, using more off-ball screens and face-guarding Clark.

Clark called Indiana’s defense “tenacious” and said she knows the Hawkeyes are capable of being just as physical in return.

“I think we made everything very difficult for Caitlin Clark tonight, and that’s hard to do. She’s a phenomenal player,” Moren said postgame.

Moren also emphasized the importance of limiting Gabbie Marshall, Kate Martin, and Molly Davis, who each scored in double figures in the last matchup.

Martin still managed 19 points on Thursday night but shot 0-for-6 from downtown. Davis and Marshall each had three points, as Iowa led for only 4:31 and shot 39 percent from the field.

“We knew [Clark] was going to get hers … We had a goal in mind to keep the others out of it,” Indiana center Mackenzie Holmes, who had 24 points and nine rebounds, said.

The loss dimmed Iowa’s chances of becoming Big Ten regular season champions, as Ohio State is now two games ahead of the Hawkeyes.

But Clark knows she and her teammates have to move on from Thursday night, as the entire month of March is still to come. Iowa was not crowned regular season conference champions last year but went on a historic run to the NCAA title game.

The Hawkeyes’ next challenge is against Illinois, who just dominated Indiana on Monday night. Iowa will then travel to rival Minnesota and close out its home slate against Ohio State on March 3.

“There’s nothing for us to really hang our head about,” Clark said. “You can’t sulk about one loss; that’s not how this works.”